<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Arsonist Yuletide by sinshine</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28117824">Arsonist Yuletide</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinshine/pseuds/sinshine'>sinshine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Promare (2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Craigslist, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:34:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28117824</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinshine/pseuds/sinshine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Why do you want this really weird, super sketchy job?” Lio asked. “Can you actually play a bad boy? No offense, but you seem like you rescue kittens in your down time.”</p><p>“I do love cats,” Galo said with a clever smile, referencing Lio’s listing. “I mean, I have rescued cats before, but it’s not a regular thing.”</p><p>“<i>Fuck</i>,” Lio said, but fondly.</p><p>[Lio hires a fake boyfriend on Craigslist to travel home with him for the holidays.]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>382</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Promare Holiday Potluck 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Dashing Through the No</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>If you're like me, then you've lost all concept of time... but it's cold out so it must be time for holiday romcoms!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In hindsight, Lio should have known it was a bad idea because Gueira had been the one to suggest it. He blamed his poor reasoning on a combination of inebriation, seasonal depression, and anxiety about returning to his parents’ home for Christmas. Maybe getting drunk on a Tuesday night wasn’t the responsible, adult thing to do, but Lio had just finished what would be his last work shift until he returned from visiting his family. Besides that, it was also his last night to see Meis and Gueira for a while, and their furniture had always seemed infinitely more comfortable than his own. The two of them still had work the following day, so it wasn’t like they could go out somewhere to celebrate, but Lio was more than happy to sit in their living room and spend a quiet evening with his favorite people.</p><p>“It’s going to be <em>awful.</em>” Lio sighed heavily and slumped into the couch, cradling a mostly empty beer bottle to his chest with both hands. “The only silver lining is that my sister just got divorced, so we can both be huge disappointments to the family this year.”</p><p>“Has your mom still got that trophy husband?” Gueira asked. He was sitting next to Lio but in the opposite position, lying on his back with his legs draped over the top of the couch. Resting on his stomach was a cooking pot half-filled with what had been a family-sized pack of instant macaroni and cheese, along with a large wooden spoon that Gueira was using to eat it. Meis was seated on the floor below them, playing a video game on the television.</p><p>“I don’t want to talk about that,” Lio grumbled. He eyed the mac and cheese and tried to gauge how hungry he actually was. “I wish I could bring you two with me, but you’re still banned from the house after what happened last time.”</p><p>“In my defense, my only crime was choosing to love a dangerous man,” Meis said solemnly.</p><p>“And in my defense, I didn’t realize that it took so little bourbon to do so much damage,” Gueira said. “Hey, maybe that’s what you need!”</p><p>“Bourbon?” Meis guessed.</p><p>“Arson?” Lio said wistfully.</p><p>“A new problem that’s bigger than the one you already have!” Gueira exclaimed. He spread his arms wide with the revelation, smacking into Lio’s leg. “Remember what you were worried about before I started that fire?”</p><p>“Yeah. I had just finished college and was getting a lot of grief about my career, or lack thereof.”</p><p>“Right, and what were you worried about <em>after </em>I accidentally started the bourbon fire?”</p><p>Lio tapped the top of the bottle thoughtfully against his chin. “Mostly, the bourbon fire.”</p><p>“<em>Exactly</em>.”</p><p>“That’s a pretty good point, but I’m not going to start another fire in my childhood home. Plus, there was the added benefit of <em>you</em> being the arsonist, so I was only indirectly responsible.”</p><p>“So, get someone else to be directly responsible.”</p><p>Meis paused his game, having decided that whatever fuckery they were up to was more interesting. “Don’t you have that fuckbuddy--”</p><p>“Absolutely not. He’s been dropping hints that he wants to be my boyfriend, but I’m not going to make that kind of commitment to someone who thinks that fried chicken is vegetarian because ‘birds don’t count.’”</p><p>“You should try Grindr,” Gueira suggested. “Just pick a dumb hottie to drag around and use as a human meat shield. It’s what your mom’s already doing, right?”</p><p>“If you keep comparing me to my mother, you’re going to give me a complex,” Lio groaned and sank further into the couch. “I don’t want to fuck someone for this. I just-- I want a business transaction-type deal-thing, y’know? Like, ‘I will pay you to ruin my family gathering, but I don’t want to see your dick.’ Probably.”</p><p>Meis snapped his fingers. “Craigslist.”</p><p>“I’m pretty sure there are dicks on Craigslist.”</p><p>“I don’t think they do that anymore. It’s, like, frowned upon now.” Meis looked to Gueira for confirmation, but the love of his life was currently sucking cheese off a giant spoon and couldn’t be bothered. So, Meis grabbed his phone and pulled up the website instead. “They took down the Personals section, so… Household Services? No, that looks like pressure washing and stuff.”</p><p>“Maybe Creative Services?” Gueira suggested, reading upside down over Meis’s shoulder. “Acting like an asshole counts as an acting job.”</p><p>“Too late, I already picked Household,” Lio said, who had moved the bottle to the crook of his elbow and was rapidly tapping his thumbs on his phone. He read aloud as he typed out an advertisement. “‘Seeking professional asshole to ruin--’”</p><p>“That’s gonna get flagged,” Meis said.</p><p>“Fine.” Lio cleared what he had typed and started over. “‘Seeking fake-date to ruin family gathering. I will pay you to come with me to my parents’ home and ruin the holidays. No, I do not want to see your penis. I just want to see you being a terrible fake boyfriend who causes a ruckus--’”</p><p>“Who says ‘ruckus?’” Gueira snorted a laugh.</p><p>“I did, fight me!” Lio jabbed at Gueira’s cooking pot with his knee, successfully unbalancing it. Gueira gasped dramatically and scrambled to sit upright so that he could move the pot away from Lio, who continued to narrate as he typed. “‘Meals and separate bedroom will be provided for the duration of the stay. Arsonists need not apply.’”</p><p>“That’s hypo- hypa--” Gueira scrunched his face in a frown and pointed the spoon accusingly at Lio. “That’s prejudiced against arsonists.”</p><p>“And <em>hypocritical</em>,” Meis added sagely.</p><p>“Yeah!”</p><p>“I’m not having an arsonist I don’t trust in my home.” Lio quickly tapped out a few more qualifications and finished it off with ‘must love cats.’ “There, posted.”</p><p>“What do you wanna do while we wait?”</p><p>Lio slowly set his bottle onto the floor and then turned menacingly towards Gueira. “Gimme some of that mac.”</p><p>“Boss, <em>nooo!</em>”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>It was nearly lunchtime when Lio woke up on the couch. He was still dressed his clothes from yesterday, but someone had thrown a blanket over him. He sat up unsteadily, grimacing at the dull ache in his head as he tried to comb through the hair plastered to one side of his face. Meis and Gueira had already left for work, so Lio hobbled into the kitchen and started a fresh pot of coffee. While the water burbled in the machine, he leaned on the counter and squinted at the notifications on his phone. Apparently, he had received several response emails before his listing was deleted by a moderator. Most of them were, predictably, dick pics, but there was also an email from someone named ‘fireguy49.’</p><p>“Oh no,” Lio whispered as a bell of recognition chimed in his mind. He tapped open the message and saw that it was part of a chain. “Oh <em>no</em>.”</p><p><em>00:23 </em> <em>&gt;</em> <em>&gt; Is this a joke or a meme? </em> <em>lol</em></p><p><em>00:31 </em> <em>&lt;&lt; Deadly serious. Obligated family time is no j</em><em>oking</em> <em> matter.</em></p><p><em>00:35 </em> <em>&gt;&gt; </em> <em>h</em><em>ow much are you paying? </em> <em>H</em><em>ere’s my six pack.</em></p><p>There was a picture of fireguy’s torso. His face was out of the frame, but his t-shirt was rolled up to reveal highly defined pectorals and abdominals. Never mind the six pack, Lio counted <em>eight</em>. And was his waist really at thin as it looked?</p><p>“What the fuck?” Lio said softly, and then saw that he had already responded with that exact sentiment.</p><p>
  <em>00:36 &lt;&lt; what the fuck???</em>
</p><p><em>00:37 </em><em>&gt;&gt;</em> <em>from your </em><em>post</em><em> “preference wll be given to candidates with </em><em>6</em><em> packs, </em><em>b</em><em>c</em><em> bringing a date who is sculpted like a </em><em>r</em><em>oman god will do </em><em>addtional</em><em> psychic damage to my loved ones</em><em>”</em></p><p><em>00:40 </em> <em>&lt;&lt;</em> <em> indeed I did! </em> <em>g</em><em>ood job!!!!</em></p><p>Luckily there weren’t many more messages following that. They had agreed to meet in person at a public place later that afternoon to asses that neither of them was a pervert or a serial killer and said goodnight. Lio groaned and set the phone down on the counter so that he could bury his face in his hands. The coffee maker sputtered unsympathetically.</p><p>Technically, he didn’t have to go. He didn’t even have to cancel, he could just not show up, but Lio couldn’t get past his innate curiosity. He wondered what kind of person fireguy49 was and what would actually happen if he paid a stranger to annoy his family. In the worst case scenario they all ended up murdered, but Lio considered himself to be a pretty sound judge of character, even if he didn’t always choose to surround himself with good people.</p><p>Ultimately, it was Lio’s love of stirring up trouble that won out. He picked his phone back up from the counter and tapped open the link to the cafe that fireguy wanted to meet at in a few hours.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Lio deeply regretted his decision to arrive early. Even after retrieving his peppermint mocha from the pick-up counter and selecting one of the tables that lined a glass wall, there were still ten minutes remaining until their appointed meeting time. Lio couldn’t help but stare at the other patrons, wondering who among them was hiding a set of washboard abs under their clothes. After he caught one of the baristas frowning at him for being a creep, Lio turned his attention from the cafe to the street outside.</p><p>There was another snow flurry and Lio watched the winding descent of falling flakes, melting when they touched the concrete of the sidewalk. The slate gray sky had been threatening snow all week, but the weather remained relatively mild, though it was still colder than Lio liked. Even inside the warmth of the cafe, he kept both his hoodie and fleece-lined bomber jacket on.</p><p>A motorcycle parking next to the curb caught Lio’s attention. As the rider lifted his arms to remove his helmet, his shirt and jacket rode up, revealing a thin waist and toned abs. He moved the helmet under one arm and used his free hand to shake out his bright blue hair. When he lifted his head, his eyes met Lio’s through the glass.</p><p>Lio wasn’t expecting to recognize his face.</p><p>Lio blinked, dumbfounded as he watched the motorcyclist’s expression change from surprise, to confusion, to recognition and a smile grew on his face. He motioned that he was on his way, turning away to walk towards the entrance around the other side of the building.</p><p><em>H</em><em>oly damn!</em> Lio cast around for the nearest reflective surface and settled on using the side of the paper napkin dispenser. He quickly combed his fingers through his hair before Galo could step through the door, surreptitiously pushing the dispenser back to the edge of the table and picking up his coffee instead. At least, Lio was fairly certain that his name was Galo. Ohgod, was it weird that he remembered the name of someone he had only met once?</p><p>The motorcyclist of undetermined name ordered his drink at the counter and was still smiling when he approached Lio’s table. “Hey! I know you, right?”</p><p>“Yes!” Lio cleared his throat and motioned for Galo to sit, eagerly pushing the empty chair out with his boot. “Yes, I was in a CPR certification class with you about a month ago.”</p><p>“And, just checking,” Galo said as he took the offered chair, “You’re interested in hiring me as a fake boyfriend?”</p><p>“That’s right.” Lio stuck his hand out over the table. “Lio Fotia.”</p><p>“Galo Thymos.”</p><p>A small fanfare played in Lio’s head. Galo’s hand was unexpectedly warm when he took Lio’s in a firm handshake, especially since he hadn’t been wearing gloves.</p><p>“I didn’t expect you.” Lio hadn’t meant to say that, but the thought had decided to bypass his social filter before exiting his mouth. “I mean, I didn’t expect someone like you.”</p><p>“Like me?”</p><p>“Well, you’re a firefighter, right? But also, you were the only person who didn’t send me a dick pic last night, so you seem pretty alright for a guy I just met online.” Lio had assumed that Galo was older than him when they met at the certification class, since he had been one of the instructors, but now he wondered if that was true. Replying to a Craigslist ad for something so ridiculous seemed like the kind of ‘young person bullshit’ that Lio’s family constantly assured him that he would one day grow out of.</p><p>“Thanks. You seem pretty alright too, for a guy that made a drunk post about ruining his family’s holiday,” Galo said. He paused to give his attention to a barista who approached their table, carrying Galo’s drink order. Lio drank his own coffee and eyed them critically over the top of his mug, noting that none of the other customers were getting their drinks hand-delivered. If Galo noticed, he didn’t say anything. “So, why are you doing this?”</p><p>“My mother has a trophy husband whose age is closer to mine than hers. My siblings and I have endured his presence at family functions for five years now. So, this year, I want you to out-annoy him.”</p><p>“What kind of person is he?” For some unknowable reason, Galo had ordered a flavored iced coffee, like it wasn’t already cold enough outside. He removed a chunk of gingerbread that stuck out of the whipped cream and ate it in two bites.</p><p>“The genuinely awful kind.” Lio wrinkled his nose distastefully. “The only thing he has going for him is that he hasn’t tried to pretend to be a father figure to my siblings and I. Other than that, he’s a money-hungry pharmacist with no redeeming qualities. He cares more about making a profit than he does about helping people.”</p><p>Galo nodded thoughtfully, or as thoughtfully as someone could look while eating a spoonful of whipped cream. “What would I have to do to annoy him?”</p><p>“Honestly, pretty much anything. You could wear the wrong shoes to dinner, talk about pop music, imply that universal healthcare is a good idea. You already work in public services, so that’s a good starting point.”</p><p>“But your mom must like him for some reason, right?” Galo ventured, but he was met with a dark expression from Lio.</p><p>“Why do you want this really weird, super sketchy job?” Lio asked. “Can you actually play a bad boy? No offense, but you seem like you rescue kittens in your down time.”</p><p>“I do love cats,” Galo said with a clever smile, referencing Lio’s listing. “I mean, I have rescued cats before, but it’s not a regular thing.”</p><p>“<em>F</em><em>uck</em>,” Lio said, but fondly.</p><p>“And from what you’ve told me about your family, it seems like it won’t be hard to get on their bad side.”</p><p>“That’s true. So, what, you’re just looking to make some extra cash?”</p><p>“Pretty much,” Galo said with a shrug, “I’ve been picking up odd jobs for a while, but usually just yard work. This will be my first acting role. Plus, there’s free food, right?”</p><p>“Right.” Lio couldn’t help but smile. If nothing else, he didn’t want to pass up on a second chance to get to know Galo. “Okay, how about this? The dinner that I very specifically want you to ruin is tomorrow night at my parents’ home. I’ll pay you $200 for that and, depending on how it goes, I’ll invite you to stay the weekend so that you can ruin the rest of our meals, too.”</p><p>The way that Galo’s eyebrows raised to meet his hairline indicated that the payout was more than he was expecting. It was also more than Lio had been planning to offer, but he could blame that on being blindsided by the quality of Galo’s <strike>six</strike> eight pack. “And, just checking, this really isn’t a weird sex thing?”</p><p>“I can absolutely guarantee that I don’t want your dick out in my childhood home,” Lio confirmed. “If you decide to stay for the weekend, you’ll be set up in one of the guest bedrooms. My mother will insist on it, since we’re not married.”</p><p>“Okay. Anything else I should know?”</p><p>“The house is up in the mountains, so it’s about an hour outside of the city by car. But it’s not secluded or anything,” Lio added quickly. “It’s just a small town, so public transit doesn’t reach that far.”</p><p>“You’re talking about Dogwood Heights?” Galo guessed. “I’ve been to their fire department. There are a lot of old houses out there.”</p><p>“I guess the age of a house would be relevant to a firefighter. So, what do you think?” Lio tried to appear more nonchalant than he felt and took a leisurely sip of his coffee while Galo took a moment to consider the offer.</p><p>“Okay,” Galo said with a grin. “Sounds like fun. Where should I meet you tomorrow?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Merry Shitscram</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Can I get a drink before you start bringing up my exes?”</p><p>“I just want to know if I need to put down plastic sheeting in the guest room,” Ariadne explained in a matter-of-fact tone.</p><p>“You should definitely put down the sheeting. We’ve got plans to do something incredibly disgusting and moderately sacrilegious in there,” Lio said while Galo did his best not to blush.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I thought I was going to update this faster, but I'm playing BOTW for the first time and it has no business living up at all the hype it's so good what the fuck!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Throughout Lio’s childhood, his parents had always been advocates of education and learning. However, in their overwhelming enthusiasm, they nearly ruined this joy for their children. After the regular school day had ended, Lio and his siblings were shuttled off to additional classes in fencing, archery, music, and language. The results of this additional schooling and highly restricted leisure time varied greatly between each child. For Lio, he learned to appreciate both the joy of doing absolutely nothing and the love of learning skills that could actually be applied to daily life.</p><p>After he graduated college, Lio continued to sign up for classes. He took lessons in first aid, self defense, life guarding, welding-- the list continued to grow. The previous month, Lio had attended a class for CPR certification.</p><p>“The chest needs to compress by two inches. You should lock your elbows while you’re doing it.” The instructor’s nametag sticker read ‘Galo’ and next to it was a doodle of what might have been an umbrella. Galo sat across from Lio on the floor, the CPR dummy between them, and put his hands over Lio’s elbows. He straightened them with a gentle touch. “You’re kind of skinny, so try putting your weight into it.”</p><p>Lio shifted his weight and pushed his hands on the dummy’s chest again.</p><p>“There you go! Now, it needs to be twice per second-- and you’ve got it!” Galo grinned and Lio fought the impulse to swoon, lest he be mistaken for one of the dummies on the floor. “I think you’ve got the hang of it, but do you have any questions for me?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Lio said, resisting the urge to ask for Galo’s phone number, “I know you said we’re not covering mouth-to-mouth, but is there a separate class for that?”</p><p>Galo tried to asses whether Lio’s interest was authentic or if this was a poor attempt at flirting. “Do you work with kids? That method is only for young children and infants. You should only do chest compressions with teens and adults, or else you might accidentally do more harm than good.”</p><p>“I volunteer at the youth center twice a week.”</p><p>“Oh! That’s great!” Galo said, his surprise betraying that he had clearly suspected Lio of having less-than-altruistic intentions.</p><p>“There’s a nurse on staff, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to be prepared,” Lio explained, a hint of pink coloring his face. “I’m a ‘learn by doing’ type, so I thought a demonstration from a professional would be best.”</p><p>“Not today,” Galo said with a smile. He decided that it was a rare combination of both authentic interest and bad flirting. “But I have some pamphlets and a video I can recommend, if you’re really interested.”</p><p>“Thanks, I would appreciate that,” Lio said, his face now flushed in earnest.</p><p>“No problem! It’s great that you’re taking an active interest in learning.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>&gt;&gt;&gt;</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Lio pulled his car up to the curb, in front of the same cafe that he met Galo at the day before. He assumed that it must be near Galo’s home or work since he had requested to be picked up here. It wasn’t any warmer, but at least there weren’t any snow flurries this time. He spotted Galo standing on the sidewalk, wearing a blue and black motorcycle jacket, and flashed the headlights to get his attention. Galo smiled broadly when he saw Lio in the two-door compact car and quickly got inside, eager to escape the cold.</p><p>“Hey!” Galo dropped his duffel bag onto the backseat and slammed the car door shut with a shiver. “Brr! Do you think it’s gonna snow this weekend?”</p><p>“I hope not. I hate fucking with the snow chains,” Lio said. He faced away from Galo while he spoke, focused on reentering traffic.</p><p>“Lio, I’m beginning to suspect that you’re something of a Grinch,” Galo teased. His legs were a little cramped and he felt around for the lever that would slide the seat back.</p><p>“It’s on the underside of the chair. And I’m not--” Lio paused to consider his answer. He knew that he tended to speak defensively when he was stressed, but Galo didn’t deserve his frustration. “I don’t mean to be a Grinch. I just don’t like the cold, or certain family obligations, or mandated holiday consumerism.”</p><p>“Thanks.” Galo found the lever and slid the seat back as far as it would go. His knees still touched the glove box, but he wasn’t as squished. “Tell me about something you do like. Raindrops on roses, or maybe whiskers on kittens?”</p><p>“If you break into song, I will turn this car around,” Lio warned.</p><p>“You can’t have a road trip without a singalong,” Galo grinned at him. “So, tell me about yourself. You said that you work with kids, right?”</p><p>“Sort of. I volunteer at the youth center, so it’s mostly teenagers. Not as many young children.” Lio glanced briefly at Galo. “I work at the Infernal Lounge. I’m a tattoo artist.”</p><p>“And?” Galo prompted, giving him an encouraging smile.</p><p>“...And?”</p><p>“Do you like it?”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” Lio answered, smiling genuinely for the first time that day. “I like it a lot.”</p><p>“That’s the place that’s both a tattoo parlor and a bar, right? One of my coworkers goes there.”</p><p>“That’s right. It’s near the university.”</p><p>“Ah, I’m assigned to district three, so I work downtown. I haven’t been near the campus yet.”</p><p>That caught Lio’s interest. “Are you new in town?”</p><p>Galo nodded. “I actually just moved here in April. This is my first winter in Promepolis and it’s a little colder than what I’m used to.”</p><p>Lio wanted to ask if that was what Galo wanted the cash for, to travel back home for the holidays, but he didn’t. He wasn’t sure how many personal questions were allotted in this kind of situation and, surprisingly, he really liked Galo. Lio didn’t want to purposely make him uncomfortable. “How do you like it so far?”</p><p>“It’s great! I’m from out in the boonies, so my favorite thing is how many food places are open twenty-four hours. Plus, public transit is pretty cool. Oh, and the libraries are way bigger!”</p><p><em>Ohgod, he’s contagious,</em> Lio thought as he felt Galo’s good humor start to rub off on him. Because of course Galo was excited about 24-hour fast food and the availability of public resources. “Have you had a kangaroo burger yet?”</p><p>“<em>Excuse me?</em>” Galo’s eyes went wide with delight. He grabbed onto the strap above the door, like he didn’t know what else to do with his hands. “Lio Fotia, if you’re lying to me, I’ll never forgive you.”</p><p>Lio smiled deviously and flicked on the turn signal. “The time for your first mission has arrived, Galo Thymos!”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The drive went by much more quickly than expected, even without a musical montage. Lio discovered that even though Galo was more chatty than anticipated, he was also surprisingly easy to talk to. The scenery changed from skyscrapers, to suburbs, to dense forest and by sunset they were in Dogwood Heights. They didn’t enter the town proper in the valley, Lio taking them instead to a residential area higher up the mountains. The houses here were older and larger than what was common in Promepolis’s suburbs. They were more spaced apart, too, and Galo couldn’t easily guess which roads were driveways and which lead deeper into the woods. Lio eventually turned down a dirt road, his hands flexing nervously on the steering wheel as the trees cleared to reveal a three-story, red-brick house and Galo’s jaw dropped.</p><p>“Lio, your house has a tower!” Galo exclaimed, leaning forward to stare up at it through the windshield as they came closer. Aside from the tower, the house also had a steep, black roof with white trim around the windows and doors. The porch that wrapped around half of the building was painted a cheerful pastel yellow.</p><p>“Yup. It’s a Queen Anne Victorian.” Lio confirmed. He parked in front of the garage-- which was a separate, newer structure-- next to a car with rental stickers in its windows.</p><p>“Victorian houses do love a wraparound porch,” Galo mused. He grinned when Lio gave him a surprised look. “I’ve been inside a few burning Victorians and I’m not a fan of the purposely asymmetrical floor plans. But I appreciate that yours is brick, it’s less flammable.”</p><p>“I’ll be sure to show you where all the fire extinguishers are,” Lio promised with a wry smile. He opened the door and instantly shivered as he traded the warmth of the car for frigid air. It was much colder out here than in the heart of Promepolis. Galo got out and stretched his hands over his head, arching his back to try and crack as many vertebrae as possible. Lio found himself distracted by Galo’s waist again and quickly got out of the car. Luckily, his face was already a little pink with cold so his embarrassment wasn’t immediately evident. “We have one in almost every room, since there are seven fireplaces. But there are probably even more now, because my friend set my sister’s bedroom on fire two years ago.”</p><p>Galo paused mid-stretch. “Wait, what?”</p><p>“Hold that thought.” Lio wrinkled his nose as the smell of cigarette smoke reached him. “Ready to meet the family?”</p><p>“Hang on!” Galo ruffled his hands through his hair and popped the collar on his jacket to increase his bad boy appearance. “How do I look?”</p><p>Lio thought that it made little difference. Galo’s hair was still attractively tousled and although the popped collar was a little silly, it somehow only added to his charm points. Nevertheless, he was still devastatingly attractive so Lio nodded his approval. “Perfect.”</p><p>Galo grabbed his duffel bag and Lio shouldered his own backpack, then they circled the garage. Around the back stood two people smoking, both of them undoubtedly related to Lio. They were both slender with blonde hair and matching disdainful expressions that made them attractive in an aggressive way.</p><p>“Hey,” Lio said as he approached them. The one on the left with wavy, shoulder-length hair and a vivid red smoking jacket gave a small wave. The one on the right had their hair pulled back into a sensible bun and exhaled sharply through their nose, creating a small puff of smoke that reminded Galo of a bull getting ready to charge. “Ares, Ariadne, this is Galo. Galo, these are my older siblings, Ariadne and Ares.”</p><p>“Did you seriously get food on the way here?” Ariadne said in lieu of a greeting, eyeing the crumpled fast food bag in Lio’s hand and looking him up and down. “And you’re not even dressed.”</p><p>“This is my fanciest jacket! It’s the one without any blood,” Lio rebutted, unfazed by her poor attitude. Galo noticed that even though Ariadne was wearing a fully-buttoned coat, he could see the hem of a skirt peeking out, leading down to black tights and fashionable heeled boots. Even Ares seemed smartly dressed under his smoking jacket, in damask-patterned slacks with matching loafers. Lio, by comparison, had patches on his bomber jacket and holes in his jeans.</p><p>“Do you have any fries left?” Ares asked.</p><p>Lio held out the bag, but Ariadne snatched it away and crumpled it in her hands. He gave Galo a sly look as though to say, ‘See? My diabolical plan to cause discord with fast food is working.’</p><p>“Bitch,” Ares said flatly, flicking ash at his sister as he turned to Galo. “Galo, huh?”</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you,” Galo said, sticking out his hand. Ares threw an amused look at Lio before accepting Galo’s handshake.</p><p>Ariadne finished her cigarette and flicked it onto the roof of the garage, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you Lio’s boyfriend? You don’t seem like his usual type.”</p><p>“Uh, yes?”</p><p>Lio rolled his eyes. “Fuck’s sake, Ariadne. Can I get a drink before you start bringing up my exes?”</p><p>“I just want to know if I need to put down plastic sheeting in the guest room,” Ariadne explained in a matter-of-fact tone.</p><p>“You should definitely put down the sheeting. We’ve got plans to do something incredibly disgusting and moderately sacrilegious in there,” Lio said while Galo did his best not to blush.</p><p>“Don’t mind her. She’s just peeved that you’re the only one to bring a ‘plus one’ this year,” Ares said in a stage whisper to Lio. Ariadne leveled a hard, steely gaze at Ares, who stared evenly back at her. When he didn’t react to her, she huffed and turned on her heel, marching towards the house. After a beat, Ares sighed and flicked his own cigarette butt onto the garage roof. “God, I love Christmas. If I ever bring someone home, please know that it’s only because I’ve started selling tickets to this circus act.”</p><p>“Where is everyone?” Lio asked.</p><p>“Lavinia’s on her last day of training camp, so she won’t be here until tomorrow. Boy Toy’s been holed up in Mom’s office since he got here, says he’s doing work. And Mom’s in the kitchen, so you’d better go there first.” Ares took a few steps back and gave a flourishing bow before making his way to the house. “Welcome to the show, Galo.”</p><p>“Uh, thanks!” Galo called after Ares. To Lio, he said, “Who’s Lavinia?”</p><p>“My younger sister. You can meet her tomorrow, if you like,” Lio said, gently reminding Galo that he was free to call it quits at anytime. But even though Galo seemed a bit bewildered by Lio’s siblings, he wasn’t offended by them.</p><p>“Ariadne, Ares, Lio, and Lavinia,” Galo recited while counting on his fingers. “And what’s your mom’s name?”</p><p>“You’ll have to ask her yourself.” Lio paused to reassess what kind of mess he was getting Galo into. “Are you ready?”</p><p>“Do you think I scare easy or something?” Galo grinned and gave Lio a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “C’mon, you owe me dinner.”</p><p>Lio nodded and took the initiative to lead the way to the house, if only so he could hide his face from Galo for a moment. They made their way up the front steps of the porch and to the double front door, decorated with stained glass windows. They stepped inside and were instantly suffused with warmth and surrounded by the smells of food and pine.</p><p>“Lio,” Galo whispered urgently while he carefully wiped his shoes on the doormat, “Your house looks like the inside of a snow globe.”</p><p>“Weirdly, I know exactly what you mean,” Lio agreed.</p><p>Themain hall was brightly lit with the glow of hanging candelabras and the walls had been decorated with a real pine garland that his mother had likely made herself. The hostess stand, pushed against the wall on the right, had an enormous bouquet of red roses and holly as a centerpiece and was otherwise littered with winter paraphernalia: glass deer statuettes, plush birds wearing sweaters, snowmen of every shape and size, and even actual snow globes. On their left, a grandfather clock chimed with the hour.</p><p>“For now, you can leave your stuff by the hostess stand. We’re technically late.”</p><p>“I thought we got here right on time?” Galo glanced again at the grandfather clock as he followed Lio past a staircase and through a door at the end of the hall. The wood floor creaked underneath their feet as they entered a large kitchen, filled with chrome appliances and decorated in shades of dark gray and green. Every available surface was covered with food or cookware.</p><p>“But we’re not early, so we’re technically late.”</p><p>“You’re damn right you are!” Lio’s mother exclaimed, appearing suddenly from around a corner and swooping down upon Lio. She grabbed his face with both her hands and pressed a loud, wet kiss to his cheek, leaving behind a mark in red lipstick.</p><p>“Hello, mother.” Lio was oddly stiff, reminding Galo of how some animals would play dead as a defense mechanism.</p><p>“Leonidas! You’re late, you’re not dressed, <em>and</em> you smell like burger grease.” She gave his shoulders a squeeze and then released him, her frown giving way to a smile. “But I’m happy to see you, sweetie. And who’s your friend?”</p><p>“This is my boyfriend, Galo. He may or may not be staying for the weekend.”</p><p>“I have a <em>reputation</em> for indecisiveness,” Galo enthused, giving Lio a conspiratorial wink. It had the intended effect and Lio cracked a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Fotia.”</p><p>“Oh, good lord,” she said as Galo stepped forward. He had taken off his jacket when they came inside, revealing a form-fitting black t-shirt. She gave him an affectionate pat on the arm, as though to check if his biceps were real. “<em>You</em> can call me Andromeda.”</p><p>“<em>Mother.</em>”</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you too, Galo. But you two have to pay the penalty for being late! Wash your hands and then you can help me set up.” She left their side just as quickly as she had appeared there, her heels clacking on the floor as she crossed the room to pull one final item from the oven.</p><p>“Leonidas?” Galo whispered as Lio turned on the sink, their voices concealed by the sound of running water.</p><p>“If you call me that, I’m firing you immediately.” Lio threatened him with the soap dispenser</p><p>“Okay, okay!” Galo tried not to laugh, but then he remembered something that bothered him. “Did you not tell them you were bringing someone?”</p><p>“I always bring someone,” Lio said. He did not elaborate, but it didn’t seem to be an issue since Andromeda had prepared enough food to feed an entire sports team.</p><p>Together they transported dish after dish from the kitchen into the dining room, where Galo spotted the first of the seven fireplaces. Ares and Ariadne reappeared, speaking animatedly with each other-- or maybe arguing, Galo wasn’t sure-- and soon everyone was gathered at the dining table. Andromeda had shed her apron and was wearing a flattering green dress, her cropped gray hair sparkling silver where the light touched it.</p><p>“Is Golden Boy still working?” Ares noted the empty chair at the other end of the table, between Andromeda and Galo. Even so, he had already started loading his plate with three different kinds of potatoes.</p><p>Lio followed suit, grabbing one of the bread rolls, and signaled for Galo to do the same by mimicking his exaggerated wink from earlier. The message was clear: asshole boyfriends should start eating before the entire party arrived. It went against Galo’s naturally polite nature, but he couldn’t deny that he’d been eyeing the sweet potatoes that were coated with a thick layer of marshmallow. He set the cloth napkin on his lap, gave up on trying to guess which fork was for what, and dug in.</p><p>“He just texted me, he’s on his way down.” Andromeda put her phone away and frowned at Ares. “And don’t call him that. Would it kill you to use his name?”</p><p>“Golden Boy is an improvement over what Ares was calling him last year,” Ariadne said. She was still holding out on food, but she was already halfway through her glass of wine. “But the name ‘Gray Foreskin’ will live on forever in my heart.”</p><p>Ares barked a laugh and Andromeda scolded a completely unrepentant Ariadne, but next to Lio, Galo had stiffened. “What?”</p><p>“It’s a very poor, but very delightful pun on his name,” Lio explained, smearing an ungodly amount of butter onto his bread.</p><p>“Who’s name?”</p><p>Lio’s mouth twisted in a way that Galo was beginning to associate with any mention of the trophy husband.</p><p>“--can’t keep doing this to me every year!” Andromeda sighed in exasperation while Ariadne lifted the wine bottle for her first refill. “I’ll admit that I’ve given up on getting any of you to respect him, but it’s been five years! You <em>have</em> to start using Kray’s name.”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>” Galo dropped his fork and it clattered onto the table. “Kray Foresight? As in <em>Foresight Pharmaceuticals?</em>”</p><p>Lio nearly dropped the butter knife. “You <em>know</em> him?”</p><p>“<em>Yes!</em>” Galo leaned towards Lio and dropped his voice to a loud hiss, but he already had the attention of the room. “He’s from my hometown! He’s part of the reason why I moved to Promepolis! Why didn’t you say it was him?”</p><p>“I said he was a pharmacist,” Lio said weakly.</p><p>“He’s the founder of his own company! Why’s your last name different?”</p><p>“I kept my name when I married, since it’s so ingrained with my brand,” Kray said. He had entered the room while they were distracted and was standing just behind Galo. “Luckily, my bride wasn’t offended by my decision. It’s... Galo Thymos, isn’t it?”</p><p>“<em>H</em><em>e remembers my name!</em>” Galo said in a breathless, but still incredibly audible, aside to Lio. He stood abruptly, his napkin fluttering to the floor and, for no reason other than sheer exhilaration, he saluted Kray. “Mister Kray Foresight, sir! Yes! That’s me!”</p><p>“<em>What</em> is happening here?” Ares watched them avidly as he continued to eat, clearly pleased to have gotten both dinner and a show out of the evening.</p><p>“I think Lio’s himbo is having a seizure,” Ariadne said. She checked for Lio’s reaction and saw that he had a white-knuckled grip on the butter knife.</p><p>“It’s <em>good</em> to see you,” Kray said, selecting an emphasis that delighted Galo and filled Lio with a sense of foreboding. “And you’re here with Leonidas. How <em>wonderful</em>. I imagine you’ll be joining us for the weekend?”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>Kray sat down and dinner officially began. He started asking Galo questions about his recent move to Promepolis, questions that Lio definitely wanted to hear the answers to, but his siblings had a few of their own.</p><p>“Lio, who the fuck is this?” Ariadne hissed at him from behind a casserole she passed to Ares.</p><p>“He introduced himself to you. Not my fault you didn’t listen,” Lio snapped as he tried to hear what Galo was saying. His roll had long been abandoned.</p><p>“--needed a fresh start after that, so I moved here. I, uh-- well, I was actually a little inspired by you.” Galo smiled shyly and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “It’s been a good change. I really like Promepolis.”</p><p>“It’s good to hear that you’re adjusting well,” Kray said. “Will you be traveling back to--”</p><p>“Did you pay someone to prank Boy Toy?” Ares tore off a piece of Lio’s pre-buttered roll and popped it into his mouth, grinning sharp-toothed. “Or is this one of your little schemes backfiring?”</p><p>“Would you kindly fuck off?” Lio asked sweetly.</p><p>“<em>Language</em>,” Andromeda said, then switched her tone to something lighter. “Lio, where did you two meet?”</p><p>“CraigsList.” Lio snatched the wine bottle away from Ariadne. He hadn’t been planning on drinking until after dinner, but the situation was becoming increasingly terrible.</p><p>“--surprised to see you with him,” Kray was saying.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“Only that you’re a certain caliber of man, Galo. One that I’m not used to seeing in Leonidas’s company.”</p><p>“Oh! Well,” Galo fumbled, at a loss for how to respond, “That’s not really--”</p><p>“Kray,” Andromeda chided, “You know Lio’s just a late bloomer.”</p><p><em>And </em>there<em> it is</em>, Lio thought. He filled his wine glass with more than what was considered acceptable among polite company. Ariadne’s divorce wasn’t proving to be as much of a distraction as he had hoped and Galo, apparently, had abandoned Lio for bigger and better things.</p><p>“Mother, he set my bedroom on fire,” Ariadne said. “The rest of us aren’t pyromaniacs.”</p><p>“Technically, it was his boyfriend who did that,” Ares corrected.</p><p>“I haven’t dated Gueira or Meis,” Lio protested. “They’re my <em>friends</em>. You’d know more about how that sort of thing works if you weren’t such an insufferable fuckass.”</p><p>“<em>Lio,</em>” Andromeda warned.</p><p>“--feel that I should let you know,” Kray said to Galo, adopting a low, sympathetic tone. “You’re an outstanding individual who cares about his community, but Lio’s interests don’t align with yours right now. He’s more interested in… personal development.”</p><p>“That’s not true,” Galo said.</p><p>Everyone fell quiet again and turned their attention to Galo. For a moment, all that could be heard was the crackling of the fire. Lio slumped a little in his chair, certain that whatever was about to come out of Galo’s mouth would condemn him, regardless of however well-intentioned he was.</p><p>“Lio and I met at a CPR certification course that I teach at sometimes. Some people show up because it’s mandated for a job, but Lio was there because he wanted to learn. No one asked him to do it, he just wanted to be able to help if someone needed him.” Galo turned away from Kray to smile at Lio. It wasn’t the wide, excited grin he had been giving him all day, but something softer and more kind. “Even if it’s a skill that you can’t use for yourself, I don’t think that time spent learning something that can benefit others is time wasted.”</p><p>Lio’s heart had slowed while Galo was speaking, but now it started to beat double time. He fought to keep his expression neutral, aware that he was being watched, but Galo winked at him and Lio couldn’t help but smile back.</p><p>“Wait, are you an EMT?” Ares asked, twirling his fork in Galo’s direction.</p><p>“Firefighter, actually. But I’ve been thinking about getting the certification...”</p><p>The rest of dinner was surprisingly pleasant. Lio kept to himself and picked at his food while Galo talked, seeming content to act as a buffer. Lio was a little jealous of how easily Galo was able to divert the conversation if things became too heated or too personal. And it was difficult to endure how happy Galo was to speak with Kray, but even the resident trophy husband, who had a natural talent for mincing his words, was biting his tongue more often. There was no way to talk around things when he was confronted with Galo’s wholehearted earnestness.</p><p>Lio also favored a more direct approach. After dinner there was desert, then coffee, and the moment that was over with, he took Galo’s hand and pulled him out into the main hall, ignoring Ares’s wolf whistle. “Grab your bag and follow me.”</p><p>Galo did as instructed, but instead of Lio leading him out to the car and back to Promepolis, they went upstairs through the first door off the landing into what could only be Lio’s bedroom. It was clean in a way that implied Lio hadn’t slept there in quite a while, but Galo thought that the aesthetic still suited him. The room was softly lit with the glow of string lights that dangled above a bed with black sheets and dark blue walls that were covered an array of posters and magazine cutouts. There was also an overloaded bookcase and a dresser that were painted the same shade of dark purple, along with a fireplace. The most color in the room came from near the top of the walls, where bright spots of yellow, pink, and blue had been painted to mimic a night sky, extending to the glow-in-the-dark stars that were stuck up on the ceiling, hidden among the string lights. Lio closed the door and leaned back against it, watching Galo carefully.</p><p>“Galo,” Lio began slowly, “There’s something I need to ask you.”</p><p>Galo swallowed nervously and nodded, sitting down on the queen bed. He wondered too late if he should have asked, but Lio didn’t tell him to move.</p><p>“Have you fucked Kray Foresight?”</p><p>“<em>No!</em>” Galo squeaked. “No, it’s just-- he’s kind of famous in my hometown. It’s like a ‘small town hero makes it big’ thing, y’know? I look up to him.”</p><p>Lio considered this. “Are you going to tell him that I hired you?”</p><p>“Of course not,” Galo said, but his expression fell. “But I don’t think I can play a bad boy anymore. Sorry, Lio.”</p><p>Lio ducked his head, his hair falling in front of his face, and he raised a hand to cover his mouth. His shoulders began to shake and Galo feared the worst, but then he heard Lio snort a laugh.</p><p>“Lio?”</p><p>“Galo Thymos,” Lio lifted his head, his eyes sparkling with tears from trying not to laugh, “You’re perfect!”</p><p>“Thank you?” Galo blushed. “I thought I was a little too honest.”</p><p>“Exactly. They had no idea what to do with you.” Lio wiped at his eyes, still grinning. “Do you think you could keep that up all weekend?”</p><p>Galo mirrored his grin. “Absolutely!”</p><p>“Fantastic. And... thank you. I’ve only ever had a few people stand up for me like that. It means a lot to me.”</p><p>Galo remembered what Lio said about always bringing someone home and wondered if that meant he liked to use someone as a buffer between him and his family. “You’ve got it kind of rough, huh?”</p><p>“Not really. We all take turns ragging on each other, but my family is very career-motivated.” Lio sat down next to Galo. “Ariadne is a surgeon, Ares is a cellist in a top-tier orchestra, and Lavinia graduates from high school in a few months, but she’s a candidate for the Olympic archery team. So, recently, it’s been a little worse for me, specifically.”</p><p>They were interrupted by a knock on the door, which was opened without waiting for a response. Andromeda stood in the doorway and smiled at them. “I’ve got a few things to finish up for work, so I’ll say goodnight now. Are you two getting settled in alright?”</p><p>“Yes, I was just about to show Galo the guest room,” Lio said.</p><p>“Nonsense, he can stay with you.”</p><p>Lio froze, not daring to look at Galo. “I, uh, don’t think you’ve allowed that before?”</p><p>“You’re right, Lio!” Andromeda kept her cheerful tone, but gradually raised her voice as she spoke so that it carried downstairs. “But recently, I’ve been informed that my traditional values can be <em>oppressive</em> and <em>stifling</em>. And may have <em>long lasting negative effects </em>on my children that result from this <em>suppression of intimacy.</em>”</p><p><em>A</em><em>h,</em> Lio thought. Ariadne and their mother must have had a yelling match about the divorce prior to their arrival.</p><p>“So, now it’s <em>fine</em>. We’re all adults here! Just keep the noise to a minimum, okay darling? And thank you for coming, Galo. We’re delighted to have you.” Andromeda blew a kiss at Lio and closed the door.</p><p>Lio could feel his entire face burning and knew that he must be a match for firetruck red. Galo seemed to be having the exact same problem and neither of them spoke for a minute.</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” Lio said quietly, his voice subdued with mortification.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Galo replied at a more normal volume. He cleared his throat. “I mean, I don’t want to put you in a weird situation--”</p><p>“Put <em>me</em> in a weird situation?” Lio balked, finally raising his eyes to meet Galo’s. “I promised you there wouldn’t be a ‘there’s only one bed’ situation. I can drive you back tonight.”</p><p>“It’s already pretty late. And I really don’t mind.” Galo shrugged, knocking his shoulder lightly into Lio’s. “This may come as a surprise, but I’m actually used to sharing close quarters with guys who are a lot bigger and burlier than you.”</p><p>Lio’s mind dipped briefly into the gutter before he remembered that Galo was professionally employed as a firefighter.</p><p>Altogether, it wasn’t as awkward an experience as it could have been. They would have to share the bathroom down the hall with Ares, but he was off to his own devices and Galo didn’t see him again that night. They slept back-to-back and he was out like a light, his chest gently rising and falling with the steady breaths of slumber.</p><p>Lio was thankful that Galo wore a shirt to bed because he didn’t think that his heart could take anymore shocks that day. He pulled the blankets over his head and tried texting Gueira and Meis, but neither replied which meant that they were out doing something together. Nonetheless, Lio drifted off much more quickly than he thought he would, lulled there by Galo’s warmth and the pulse of another heartbeat keeping time with his own.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. It's The Most Terrible Time of The Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“I’m fine,” Lio said, giving him a reassuring smile. Whatever Galo had going on, it wasn’t any of his business. All Lio had to do was make sure that they had fun tonight. “I’ve just never had my mother approve of someone I’m dating. You’re really good at this.”</p><p>“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Galo said earnestly.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy new year!!!! The only thing I learned in 2020 is that I will always suck at estimating word count.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was still fairly early when Lio woke up alone, disturbed by the sunlight spilling in through the blinds. He yanked the blankets over his head with a groan, unsurprised that Galo was probably a morning person. Despite his initial disappointment-- both at being conscious and at Galo not being there-- Lio was glad to have some time to himself. There were new messages on his phone and he texted a reply to Gueira and Meis, smiling a little when they responded instantly. He updated them on the situation with Galo and found that his mood was improved by Meis’s sly humor and Gueira’s texts in all caps (‘WTF DO YOU MEAN THERES ONLY 1 BED???’). Then, he remembered that Galo was alone with his family and quickly got out of bed, pulling a hoodie over his pajamas as he went downstairs to the kitchen.</p><p>Galo wasn’t in the kitchen, but his mother and Ariadne were there, seated at the table by the windows. They were looking outside at something in the backyard and didn’t notice Lio when he entered. That suited him just fine since he wanted to get some caffeine prior to engaging in conversation. There was enough coffee left in the French press to fill his mug and he added a little creamer, the spoon clinking as he stirred. When the noise didn’t attract any attention, Lio gulped down a mouthful of coffee and resigned himself to speaking first.</p><p>Lio approached the table and started to ask what was so interesting outside, but his jaw dropped when he saw the answer to his question standing across the yard. Next to the garage, where a large pile of firewood was kept stacked year round, was Galo with an ax in his hands. He was wearing another form-fitting t-shirt and no jacket, so Lio had a clear view of his biceps flexing as Galo swung the ax through a block of wood, cleaving it in two.</p><p>Lio closed his mouth and cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. “You’re both going to hell.”</p><p>“Says the man who brought the eye candy,” Ariadne said, not missing a beat.</p><p>“He volunteered!” Andromeda said with a laugh. She stood and squeezed Lio’s shoulder as she passed him on her way to the sink. “Good morning, Lio.”</p><p>“Good morning.” Lio wanted to ask exactly how Galo came to ‘volunteer’ when they already had plenty of firewood, but he also didn’t want to start his day by being combative. He remained standing as he sipped on his coffee with mild annoyance, resolving to ask Galo about it later.</p><p>Ariadne noticed and smirked at him. “Foresight was out there earlier, blowing off steam. Galo offered to help him and ended up taking over.”</p><p>“Blowing off steam?”</p><p>“Your guess is as good as mine,” Ariadne said.</p><p>Lio thought that her guess would actually be much better than his own, since their current situation was technically Ariadne’s fault. She had been the one to introduce Kray to their mother in the first place; an error in judgment that her siblings would never let her live down. Even though Lio said nothing, she could read it on his face and frowned at him. She looked at Lio’s chest, her frown deepening to a scowl, and elected to end the conversation by opening a news app on her phone.</p><p>Lio rolled his eyes and decided to speak with Galo sooner rather than later. He went to the backdoor, pausing on the threshold to consider his bare feet, and crossed it anyway. He cupped both hands around the mug for warmth as his toes touched the ice-cold paving stones and a shiver swept through him, but he didn’t slow or stop. He followed the stones past an outdoor dining area, underneath a vine-heavy trellis, to the side of the garage where Galo was.</p><p>Galo grinned and set down the ax when he saw Lio approaching in the shadow of the house, wiping a light sheen of sweat onto his forearm. “Hey, good morning! Did you sleep okay?”</p><p>“Yeah. You?” Lio smiled when Galo nodded his affirmation. “Have they been treating you alright? Guests shouldn’t be doing chores.”</p><p>“I thought you needed me for Household Services?” Galo teased. “I don’t mind, it’s actually kinda fun! I usually go for a jog in the morning, but this was a nice alternative.”</p><p>“We could go for a hike later, if you want to. There’s a trail nearby.”</p><p>Lio stepped out of the shadows and into the morning light, blinking as his eyes adjusted. He stopped on a stone that had been sitting in the sun and, although it wasn’t exactly warm, it was better than the alternative of getting his feet wet in the grass. He watched as Galo’s eyes dropped from Lio’s face to his chest and followed his gaze. Apparently, Lio had grabbed one of Galo’s hoodies instead of his own since it was black with a bright red FDPP logo. And it was also several sizes too large.</p><p>Lio’s face immediately flushed red, embarrassed that he hadn’t noticed. “Fucking--! Sorry, I just grabbed something--”</p><p>“It’s fine!” Galo laughed, amused by how tiny Lio’s hands looked in the large sleeves. “Not much of a morning person, huh?”</p><p>“No, not really,” Lio admitted shyly, relieved that Galo wasn’t angry with him.</p><p>“I figured, ‘cause you’ve also got...” Galo gestured to the side of his own head.</p><p>“What?” Lio squinted at him, not understanding.</p><p>“You’ve got a cowlick.” Galo put his hand on Lio’s head and ruffled his hair, making his bedhead even worse.</p><p>“Hey!” Lio swatted away Galo’s hand, both of them trying not to laugh. He swore when coffee sloshed over the rim of his mug, splashing onto the grass.</p><p>“Y’know, you’d better be careful,” Galo said, his voice full of mirth as he tried to ruffle Lio’s hair again. “That hoodie’s dry clean only. It’s a very delicate item.”</p><p>“Then you probably shouldn’t have left it on the floor,” Lio told him. He took a step back, out of Galo’s reach, but he was still smiling. “If you’re not up for hiking, we could also go into town. There’s a friend I’d like to meet up with.”</p><p>“There’s no family stuff scheduled?”</p><p>“There is, but we won’t be attending. There’s this annual town fundraiser thing tonight that everyone else will be going to. I have a tradition of skipping out on it.”</p><p>“Sounds good to me.” Galo thought it sounded like the kind of event that would involve a suit rental and too many forks. “What’s there to do in town?”</p><p>“What passes for ‘downtown’ here will have a bunch of stuff. Food, shopping, lights. If you want to do something really hokey, there’s a Christmas fair. It’s not big, but there’s ice skating and booth games.”</p><p>Lio’s family wasn’t religious and he personally didn’t care about the winter holidays outside of the break he got from work, but he thought that Galo might be the type to enjoy that sort of thing. His intuition was proven correct when Galo’s face lit up at the mention of a fair.</p><p>“Hm... but will there be hot apple cider?” Galo asked, pretending to consider it.</p><p>“I can guarantee that there will be way more seasonal drink options than is reasonable,” Lio promised.</p><p>“Deal.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>After Lio was properly caffeinated and dressed in his own clothes, he gave Galo the official house tour. He covered the locations of all seven fireplaces and eleven extinguishers, even humoring Galo by inventing a fire escape plan. The wood floors creaked under Galo’s feet and he marveled at how light Lio’s own steps were, his slippered feet hardly making a sound.</p><p>“The best thing about rooming with me, aside from the second floor being warmer, is that you won’t have to share a bathroom with Ariadne,” Lio said as he showed Galo the room that he had originally intended for him to use. “She’s in the other guest room. Mother converted her old bedroom into an office after the fire.”</p><p>“Okay,” Galo let out a breath that he’d been holding since Lio started the tour, “As a firefighting professional, I think I deserve to hear the story about this fire.”</p><p>Lio smiled wryly and motioned for Galo to follow him. They went down the hall, passing by Lavinia’s bedroom at the top of the tower, and entered the den. Unlike the carefully furnished parlors on the first floor, this room was larger held a variety of older, mismatched furniture that had been selected for comfort instead of appearance. It also contained the only television that Galo had seen in the house, mounted above the seventh and final fireplace. Lio sank into a velvet armchair and Galo selected a cracked leather couch to sprawl out on.</p><p>“This is where we bring the company we actually like,” Lio told him.</p><p>“I’m honored.” Galo stretched out his foot and tapped Lio’s leg. “Tell me.”</p><p>Lio chewed on his lip. He hadn’t been embarrassed to tell the story to anyone else, but he’d also never been asked to explain himself to a firefighter. He sighed and leaned on the armrest closer to Galo, propping his head up on his hand.</p><p>“In order to understand what happened, I have to tell you about my two best friends, Meis and Gueira. Meis I know through the Infernal Lounge, he helped to train me when I was new there. Gueira was his partner at the time, and still is, but I met him separately at the supermarket.</p><p>“I was in the produce section, minding my own business and looking at-- I don’t know, artichokes or something. The vegetable isn’t important, but what does matter is that it was near closing and there was only one left. I, being a decent human being, was waiting for the automated vegetable sprinkler thing to stop raining before I stuck my hand in the display. Gueira, being a Floridian, swooped in out of nowhere, stuck his hand under the sprinkler and took the thing I wanted. Long story short, we got into a fistfight, got kicked out of the store, and now we’re friends.”</p><p>“So, you’re saying that you have a habit of making friends in unconventional circumstances?” Galo laughed.</p><p>“I guess?” Lio said, unsure whether Galo meant to imply that they were friends. He wanted it to be true, but it also felt like wanting too much. “Anyway, I used to bring them here for the holidays sometimes, but now they’re both banned after what happened two years ago.</p><p>“I was actually skipping out on this same fucking fundraiser and the three of us stayed home and got smashed. We were in my bedroom, out of booze, and no one wanted to deal with the stairs to go to the kitchen. So, I say that Ariadne is probably hiding alcohol in her room-- because we both drink way more than we should this time of year-- and we make our way across the hall into her room. We find the bourbon and Gueira bets us, completely unprompted by the way, that he can do that fire breathing trick.”</p><p>“And could he?” Galo’s voice came out muffled. He was holding his hands over his face like he was watching a horror movie.</p><p>“He could,” Lio confirmed in a tone that bordered admiration. “He just wasn’t very good at controlling it.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>If it were up to Lio, he would have preferred to avoid the kitchen as much as possible. His mother had a habit of cooking whenever she was stressed and was therefore frequently in the kitchen when all of her children were gathered under one roof. And although, yes, it was technically up to Lio, he wasn’t about to deprive Galo of twenty-four hour access to home cooked meals. Galo, in turn, couldn’t deprive someone of a helping hand when he had two of them to give.</p><p>So, that was how Lio ended up in the kitchen with Galo and his mother, preparing a much larger than necessary brunch spread for Lavinia’s homecoming. He minded the standing mixer as it stirred a bowl of strawberry icing and made idle conversation with Galo, who had been put in charge of flipping pancakes. When the icing was done, Lio toted the bowl across the kitchen for Andromeda to test its consistency.</p><p>Now that Galo knew he was sleeping under the same roof as Kray, he had been worried about having to lie about his relationship with Lio. However, unlike Ares and Ariadne, Andromeda appeared willing to take Galo’s presence at face value. He wondered if that was because Kray had vouched for him, or if she was just used to not knowing much about the people Lio brought home. And if Gueira had set the bedroom on fire two years ago, then who had Lio brought home last year? Maybe one of the exes he’d mentioned?</p><p>Galo heard quiet steps behind him, signaling Lio’s return, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Lio’s dating history wasn’t any of his business.“Welcome back! Was the icing okay?”</p><p>“I don’t know what that means.”</p><p>Galo blinked and turned to face Lio, but jumped when he found a doppelganger standing there instead. After his initial shock, Galo realized that this must be the missing sister. “Uh, hi!”</p><p>“Hi,” she replied, glancing at Galo’s borrowed apron. It was patterned with a pastel cupcake print.</p><p>“You must be Lavinia. I’m Galo, it’s nice to meet you!” Galo almost offered his hand to her, realized that it was smeared with butter, and settled for a wave.</p><p>Lavinia tilted her head curiously and waved back at him. Two of her fingers were bandaged. “You, too. You’re one of Lio’s?”</p><p>“Yes, he’s one of <em>mine,</em>” Lio said. He didn’t have the icing bowl with him, so he must have been successful. And despite his tone, he seemed pleased to see her.</p><p>“I thought maybe Ariadne got a rebound boyfriend. But you’ve always had better taste in men than her,” Lavinia said with a shrug. She gave Lio a small smile before she was swept up by Andromeda, who gave her the same welcome home that Lio had received, and Lavinia was blessed with a violently pink lipstick print on her cheek.</p><p>Like the rest of her family, Lavinia was slender and her long, blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. But unlike her older siblings, who were constantly emanating emotion, Lavinia’s face was almost expressionless. It might have been because she was tired from her trip, but Galo had the impression from the way she and her mother interacted that that was just how she was. The most interesting thing about Lavinia’s arrival was that she confirmed two suspicions that Galo had; the Fotias were not huggers and Lio was the shortest in his family by several inches.</p><p>Lio caught Galo staring and arched one perfect eyebrow at him in wordless question.</p><p>“You’re like the baby in the middle of a Russian doll,” Galo informed him, trying not to laugh.</p><p>“A Matryoshka?” Lio bit his lip, torn between humor and vexation. “I hate that I know what you mean when you say stuff like that. And shut up about my height.”</p><p>“Alright, I’m sorry,” Galo apologized. “I know it’s a <em>low</em> blow.”</p><p>Lio reached around Galo and switched off the burner he was using for the pancakes. It was a gas range and Galo had been too nervous to light it himself.</p><p>Galo gasped in outrage. “Lio, <em>no! </em>The pancakes!”</p><p>“What will you do now, Thymos?” Lio let out a slow, rolling laugh. “Will you learn how to light a gas stove?”</p><p>“<em>Never</em>,” Galo hissed. They held eye contact for a long moment.</p><p>Lio sighed, his shoulders dropping, and he turned the burner back on.</p><p>“Do you want to come with us to the fundraiser tonight?” Andromeda asked after she finished fussing over the bandages on Lavinia’s hand.</p><p>“No,” Lavinia said flatly. “I’d rather use the time to recover from training camp.”</p><p>“Well, alright. And I know <em>you</em> don’t want to go,” Andromeda said, acknowledging Lio, “But what about you, Galo? I’m sure Kray would love to have you there.”</p><p>“Oh!” Galo paused. “Really?”</p><p>Lio’s heart climbed into his throat at the look on Galo’s face. He did his best not to scowl at his mother, annoyed that she was either trying to split them up, or secure Lio’s attendance by proxy.</p><p>Galo rubbed a hand over the back of his head, forgetting about the butter, and smiled shyly. “I kinda already bought tickets to the fair for me and Lio. But thank you so much for asking me!”</p><p>“You’re welcome, honey! I’ll put your name on the list in case you change your mind.” Andromeda took a hold of Lavinia’s wrist when she tried to stick her hand directly into the pancake batter and lead her away into the dining room. “Now, dear, did you want to use the blue china or...”</p><p>“Galo, are you sure?” Lio asked softly. “I mean, if you really want to go--”</p><p>“I’m not gonna ditch you,” Galo answered just as quietly. He flipped the finished pancakes onto a stack. “But now we definitely have to go to the fair, to keep me from being a liar.”</p><p>“Of course, but <em>lying</em> to my <em>mother?</em> We might make a bad boy out of you yet.” Lio grinned and bumped his hip into Galo’s.</p><p>The tips of Galo’s ears turned red and his mouth curved into a pleased smile.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Curiously, Lio didn’t see Kray before he and Galo left later that afternoon, but he thought that Kray’s absence greatly improved Lavinia’s welcome home brunch. He was used to the man making overtures of civility to appease Andromeda during the holidays, but Lio also knew that Kray still had an apartment in the city that he lived at most of the time. It wasn’t surprising, considering that Foresight Pharmaceuticals was located in the business district of Promepolis, but Lio also had a strong suspicion that Kray liked to mess with him, specifically, and wondered why he was choosing to miss out on the opportunity. When Andromeda pulled Lio aside on his way out the door and placed a few crisp bills in his gloved hand, he regarded the money with suspicion and was forced to consider that maybe the Galo Effect was stronger than he thought.</p><p>“What’s the catch?”</p><p>“Dramatic as ever,” Andromeda sighed. “I just want to make sure that you and Galo have fun on your date.”</p><p>Lio stared at her in disbelief. He wasn’t sure if his mother had ever given him money for a date before.</p><p>“Kray told me about that boy’s family. It’s good that he’s spending the holidays with you.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Don’t be like that, I was going to find out eventually,” Andromeda said, misreading Lio’s reaction. “All I’m asking is that you come back home safely and at a reasonable hour, okay? No cops this year.”</p><p>Lio nodded to end the conversation, feeling like he suddenly had more questions than answers when it came to Galo. He left the house and went over to the garage, where Galo was leaning against the trunk of his car. Hadn’t he said something to Kray about a ‘fresh start?’</p><p>Galo straightened when Lio approached. “You okay?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Lio said, giving him a reassuring smile. Whatever Galo had going on, it wasn’t any of his business. All Lio had to do was make sure that they had fun tonight. “I’ve just never had my mother approve of someone I’m dating. You’re really good at this.”</p><p>“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Galo said earnestly.</p><p>“That makes two of us.”</p><p>Lio drove them downtown and parked in a lot near a children’s play area. The shopping district was less than a mile long and none of the buildings were higher than two stories, but what the area lacked in size, it made up for in volume. The street was packed with vendors selling food and hand-crafted souvenirs, and people milling about in the spaces between. Multi-colored string lights hung from every tree, glittering banners covered every last available space, and the sound of a live band drifted above the chatter of the shoppers. Galo started to walk towards them, like a moth drawn to a flame, but Lio hooked his arm around Galo’s and steered him in the opposite direction.</p><p>“Hang on, there’s someone I want to visit before you get lost in the sauce.”</p><p>“I object to you referring to apple cider as ‘sauce,’” Galo said, “But that’s probably for the best. Do you think they’ll let me in that bounce house?”</p><p>Lio thought about the Galo Effect. “Probably. But if it pops, you’re on your own.”</p><p>They didn’t have to go very far, just a little ways down a side alley that was mostly dominated by a bridal store. Lio stopped in front of the flower shop next to it, which appeared to be closed for the day. There was a small chalkboard sign on the door that read ‘By Appointment Only’ in neat, looping letters.</p><p>“Do we have an appointment?” Galo asked.</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>Lio pushed the door open, a bell jangling loudly as they entered, and took a deep breath. The air inside the shop was warmer and more humid than outside, plus it was filled with the earthy smell of flowers and soil. Verdant leaves and colorful blooms lined the walls and dangled from the ceiling in glittering pots. As Galo closed the door behind him, the bell sounded again and there was a clatter from the back room.</p><p>“I’ll be right there!” A voice called out and a minute later a young woman burst through the hanging plastic slats in the wall behind the register. Her green eyes widened when she saw who her customers were. “Lio!”</p><p>“Thyma!” Lio grinned.</p><p>Thyma rounded the counter and threw herself into Lio’s arms, joyfully embracing him. He caught her with a laugh and leaned back so that her feet left the ground for a moment before setting her down. Thyma released him only to then smack his arm reprovingly, her large eyes sparkling with tears. “You didn’t text me! I was worried you wouldn’t come this year.”</p><p>“I would never miss an opportunity to disappoint my family. Although, it actually hasn’t been that bad.” Lio tugged on Galo’s jacket, pulling him a step forward from where he lingered awkwardly behind Lio. “This is my date, Galo. Galo, this is Thyma, my oldest friend.”</p><p>“Lio thinks it’s too corny to call us childhood friends, but that’s what we are,” Thyma said, smiling at Galo.</p><p>“And even though Thyma’s acting like it’s been a million years since she’s seen me, we had lunch together two weeks ago,” Lio said. “Are you busy today? You should come out with us.”</p><p>“You should’ve made an appointment!” Thyma touched her finger to the tip of Lio’s nose. “I’ve been booked by your mother for the fundraiser tonight.”</p><p>“I didn’t think you liked going to those...”</p><p>“I like eating fancy food on tiny plates while wearing a dress made of glitter.” Thyma shrugged. “And I’ve still got a few centerpieces to finish before I start loading the truck. Ares should be here soon to help me. I take it you’re not going?”</p><p>“No. I think that my time would be better spent at the fair.”</p><p>“Really?” Thyma asked, bemused. She was pretty certain that Lio hadn’t expressed interest in the Christmas fair since they were children and her gaze returned to Galo with renewed interest. Lio noticed and his cheeks flushed pink.</p><p>“Oh, Galo isn’t--” The bell jangled behind Lio and he knew without looking that Ares had arrived. He huffed in frustration and Thyma smiled knowingly at him.</p><p>“I’m off tomorrow. Will you have time then?”</p><p>“Yes, can you come by the house? Lavinia’s home and I know she’d love to see you, too.”</p><p>“I’d love to!” Thyma clapped her hands together. “Do you think I can convince your mom to make that lavender ice cream again?”</p><p>“You’ll have to endure listening to the story of how she got the ice cream maker, but I’m certain you can persuade her,” Ares said as he inserted himself into their circle, no longer content to be ignored. He smiled at Lio and nodded. “Ass jack.”</p><p>“Dumb fuck,” Lio returned the nod. He lifted a hand in farewell to Thyma and stepped backwards to the door. “I’ll text you this time.”</p><p>“You’d better!” Thyma waved goodbye to Lio, still smiling widely. “Ares, you’re early! I’m not ready, but you can help yourself to the fridge.”</p><p>“I couldn’t stay cooped up in the house...”</p><p>Galo offered his arm to Lio when they were back out on the street. Now that they had been somewhere warm, the outside felt even colder and Lio gratefully looped his arm around Galo’s. He wished that he had planned this trip better, but knew that the reason he hadn’t was because thinking about it filled him with a sense of dread. At least, he would be able to speak with Thyma tomorrow and, strangely, he felt that he could continue to rely on Galo’s support.</p><p>“Thyma’s pretty cool,” Galo gently prompted when Lio was quiet for too long.</p><p>“She really is,” Lio agreed. “Thyma lives two houses down from us, so we basically grew up together. Everyone loves her.”</p><p>“And she owns that flower shop? That’s awesome!”</p><p>“I hope you two can talk a little tomorrow, I really think she’ll like you. And I need to tell her about you, anyway.” Lio tugged Galo in the direction of food. “C’mon, let’s buy some overpriced drinks.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>After getting his hands on the first apple cider of the evening, Galo’s next mission was to sample any and every food that could be eaten on a stick. He quickly outpaced Lio, who switched to hot chocolate after two tornado potatoes and seemed more interested in Galo’s reaction than the food itself. They wandered aimlessly through the souvenir tents and window shopped as they ate, the selection ranging from handmade soaps to metalwork yard sculptures. Once the sun had set, Lio quickly lost track of time.</p><p>Eventually, they found the live band playing next to an ice skating rink, but the crowd was at its most dense here. The area was packed to the brim with loud families and packs of shrieking children. Lio grabbed the back of Galo’s jacket to get his attention, unsure if he would be heard above the din, and gestured something to the effect of ‘I would like to go somewhere else immediately, thank you.’ Galo nodded and switched his stick foods to one hand, taking Lio’s hand with the other and guiding them out of the crowd.</p><p>“That was a little rough, huh?” Galo said when they had left most of the noise behind, entering a section of booth games. Although his pace had slowed, Galo didn’t stop and he held onto Lio’s hand even though they were walking side by side now. “How do you feel about getting some... <em>air?</em>”</p><p>Lio scrutinized Galo’s carefully blank expression. “I’m pretty sure you’re making a pun. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t appreciate it.”</p><p>Galo finally stopped when they came to the end of an aisle, spreading his arms wide and twirling his stick foods to present the Ferris wheel that was now in full view. Lio snorted a laugh and then tried to pretend that he hadn’t.</p><p>Unfortunately, no food was allowed on the Ferris wheel, so Galo quickly scarfed down a shrimp kabob, a chocolate banana, and half of a cotton candy while they were in line. Lio sighed dramatically as he ate the other half of the cotton candy, removing one of his gloves so that he could tear off pieces of the confection.</p><p>“I realize this is a little late to be asking,” Lio said after the lap bar was set in place, “But are you sure you’re not going to throw up? I’ve been watching you eat food literally all day.”</p><p>“I was just thinking that I want another apple cider!” Galo grinned as the Ferris wheel began its slow rotation. “Is there anything else you wanna do?”</p><p>“Not really.” Lio looked out over the fair as they reached the pinnacle of the wheel. The town glowed brightly under the dark night sky. “I really liked that coffee kiosk from earlier, if you’re looking to try something else.”</p><p>“Nah, I’ve been craving it for a while and now I’m hooked again. We used to make apple cider every year, right after the first big snow.”</p><p>Lio whipped around to face Galo, sensing a clue to Galo’s past like a shark senses blood on the water. He kept the eagerness out of his voice when he spoke. “Who’s ‘we?’”</p><p>“My grandpa. He was the one who raised me and he died last year, in February.” Galo smiled wryly and looked away from Lio as the Ferris wheel slowed to a stop, casting his gaze out into the forest beyond the town. “Don’t look at me like that. I hate it when people feel sorry for me.”</p><p>Lio’s gut twisted with guilt, his excitement over learning more about Galo exchanged for growing concern. “Galo, why did you answer my CraigsList ad? You could have used this time to visit your hometown.”</p><p>“There’s not really anyone to visit.” Galo shrugged but the movement was stilted. His thumbnail worried a spot on the lap bar where the paint had chipped away. “Sorry, I don’t mean to--”</p><p>“Don’t be sorry.” Lio put his hand over Galo’s, stilling his nervous movement. “You already know way too much about my family drama, so it’s only fair if I know a little of yours. I mean, if you want to tell me.”</p><p>“Is that a pun? Only <em>fair?</em>” Galo said with a small smile. He flexed his fingers, letting them brush between Lio’s without quite interlacing.</p><p>“I appreciate your use of humor as a defense mechanism, but I am also acknowledging it for what it is,” Lio whispered.</p><p>“As opposed to getting defensive as a defense mechanism?” Galo whispered back.</p><p>“Yes, exactly.”</p><p>A laugh was startled out of Galo and the tension in his shoulders loosened, making warmth bloom in Lio’s chest.He looked fully at Lio now and was quiet for a moment, as though assessing him. At last, Galo nodded and took a steadying breath.</p><p>“Okay so, my parents died in a house fire when I was really young. My grandpa took me in and we didn’t have a lot of money, but I had a pretty good childhood. He started getting really sick when I was in high school and I took off a lot to help him, to help around the house. I almost didn’t graduate ‘cause I missed so much, but I scraped by.”</p><p>Lio heard what Galo didn’t say; that his relationships had suffered from his absence as well. Lio was already familiar with how difficult it had been to maintain friendships when he wasn’t available outside of school hours, but Galo had missed out on that, too.</p><p>“I started working right away so that I could start making money. And it worked! For a while, I mean. He was already pretty old, so...” Galo smiled reflexively but it was short lived, the corners of his mouth turning down. “Grandpa left me the house, but it didn’t take long for me to get sick of being alone in that place. So, I moved to Promepolis.</p><p>“And this weekend… I dunno. I guess I was thinking that I didn’t want to think about Christmas this year. I’ve been throwing myself into work for a while, picking up as many shifts as I can, answering yard work ads. But my team, they really care about me. The captain himself insisted that I take some time off for the holidays.”</p><p>“And you took their goodwill and immediately got a gig as my boyfriend,” Lio said.</p><p>“Pretty much! They wouldn’t let me work and I couldn’t tell them that I didn’t have anywhere to go because then they’d look at me like <em>that</em>--” Galo pointed at Lio’s face --“So, I told them a half-truth. I’m staying with a friend’s family, out of town.”</p><p>“Are we friends?” Lio wished he could take the question back as soon as he’d said it, worried that it had been a selfish thing to ask, but Galo was delighted.</p><p>“I’d like us to be! I think you’re pretty cool.” Galo ran a hand through his hair, distracted. “And I don’t think I can take your money for this weekend.”</p><p>Lio frowned. He wanted Galo to take the money, but he also knew that doing so would permanently apply a transactional context to their relationship. “I don’t want you to think that you have to do something for me just because I happen to know your hometown hero.”</p><p>“What if I just like you?” Galo smiled warmly.</p><p>Lio blushed and screamed a little inside his head. “I’d call you a liar. You’re meeting me at my worst.”</p><p>“I’ve had a lot of fun with you and I wanna keep hanging out after this weekend. Don’t you?”</p><p>“Yes,” Lio admitted. “I mean, you’ve been exposed to more of my fears and anxieties than I’m usually comfortable with a new friend knowing about. But sure, I like spending time with you.”</p><p>“Good.” Galo knocked his knee into Lio’s and left it there until the ride ended. “I’m glad we agree.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Santa's Little Ho Ho Ho</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You really just met him? You’re getting along pretty well,” Thyma said.</p>
<p>“I said he was on his best behavior.”</p>
<p>“Sure, but that’s never stopped you from being an asshole to someone. You like him.”</p>
<p>“He’s... not really my type,” Lio said unconvincingly. He found a bag filled with bath bombs and lingered on a vibrant blue one, but he deliberately set it aside.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Not me obsessively checking the HBO app for Promare when I already have the dvd...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Galo usually got up around 5:30 in the morning, but because he was on vacation he allowed himself the luxury of sleeping in until 6:00. Lio was still fast asleep next to him, mouth open and snoring slightly, and Galo watched the slow rise and fall of his chest as his own brain slowly booted up. He decided that he would go for a run and carefully got out of bed, tucking the blanket around Lio’s shoulders to make sure he stayed warm. Lio had mentioned that he usually slept with the fireplace on, but he had left it unlit for Galo’s sake.</p>
<p>Galo didn’t see anyone else in the house as he prepared for the day, not even in the kitchen, and he wondered how late the fundraiser had run. Only Lavinia had been in the house when he and Lio returned last night, and Galo had gone to bed before both of them. Galo let his thoughts drift while he waited for the toaster to finish, and his ears became aware of a rhythmic, far off sound.</p>
<p>
  <em>Thump… Thump… Thump…</em>
</p>
<p>The toaster finished with a <em>ding!</em> and Galo jumped in surprise. He caught sight of his own startled reflection in the chrome of the appliance and stuck his tongue out, laughing at himself as he grabbed the toast and left through the backdoor. The sound was louder out here and Galo walked towards it, heading away from the patio and towards a small, empty greenhouse. Lio, who was apparently not a fan of the cold, hadn’t given him a tour of the backyard and it was much larger than Galo initially thought. Around the greenhouse, there was a clearing at the edge of the woods and a line of targets were set up in front of the trees. Lavinia stood with her back to Galo and released another arrow, which landed at the center of her target to join a cluster of others.</p>
<p>
  <em>Thump!</em>
</p>
<p>“Nice shot,” Galo said, his breath fogging the air. The days were definitely getting colder.</p>
<p>Lavinia glanced over her shoulder at him, acknowledging Galo before she nocked a new arrow. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>Galo munched on his toast and watched Lavinia aim. He wanted to ask her questions about it but was unsure if this was the sort of activity that required complete concentration.</p>
<p>“You’re up early,” Lavinia said, breaking the stalemate on her own. She released the arrow and immediately drew another from her quiver, not turning to look at Galo. “Going for a run?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. I’d like to try the woods, but I figure I’ll stick to the road for now.”</p>
<p>“Good call.” The next shot landed dead center.</p>
<p>“You’re really good! I think Lio said you’re trying for the Olympic team?”</p>
<p>“That’s right.”</p>
<p>“Nice! You must really like archery a lot.”</p>
<p>A pause. “Maybe.”</p>
<p>Galo finished the toast and wiped the crumbs from his hands onto his windbreaker. “You’re not sure?”</p>
<p>“I like being good at it.” Lavinia slowly relaxed her stance and turned to face Galo, holding her bow with both hands. It looked more complex than Galo was expecting, with unfamiliar implements sticking out of it, but he supposed that this must be what the professionals were using. “Have you seen Lio shoot?”</p>
<p>“No. Is that something you two do together?”</p>
<p>“Sort of. All four of us have been trained in archery, fencing, and music. I guess it looks pretty cool, but it was more like having a mandatory hobby. And I was no good at the music part. It sucks to be the youngest because everyone else has already done everything worth doing first, you know?”</p>
<p>“Not really.” Galo smiled sheepishly and rubbed a hand over the back of his head. “I’m an only child. But I sympathize.”</p>
<p>“Well, when you’re part of a matching set, a <em>Matryoshka</em>--” Lavinia’s usually unreadable expression cracked for a moment as she teased Galo, recalling his joke from yesterday-- “You want to do something that makes you stand out. So, I became the best at archery and I <em>love</em> being the best. I don’t know if that’s the same thing as liking it, but that doesn’t really matter as long as I win.”</p>
<p>The one thing that all the Fotias had in common, Galo thought, was that they were all a little intense.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Lio managed to roll out of bed just in time for Thyma’s arrival, giving Galo the impression that she must have called him on her way there. He was dressed and had fixed his hair, but he had a bleary, unfocused stare while he made coffee in the French press. Galo gently took over the process when it came time for Lio to pour the coffee into a thermos.</p>
<p>Together, the four of them-- Galo, Lio, Thyma, and Lavinia-- set off for a trek through the woods. They cut through the trees behind the house, passing by a few other backyards, and emerged onto a dirt path near a trail marker. They followed the trail up the mountain and it gradually became warmer out as the sun climbed higher in the sky, though the trees kept them hidden in the shade. Lavinia and Thyma spoke quietly to each other, but Lio remained largely unresponsive until he was most of the way through his coffee. Galo didn’t mind; it had been a while since he was last in woods like these and he enjoyed listening to the crunch of leaves beneath his shoes and watching animals dart out of sight when they came near.</p>
<p>The trail didn’t go all the way to the top of the mountain, but after about an hour of walking they arrived at a viewpoint on a wooden platform. Standing at the railing, they could see over the treetops and down into the valley. The shadows were still deep purple in some places, but the morning sunlight set the sleepy town aglow, reflecting so brightly that it almost hurt to look at.</p>
<p>Lio squinted at the lovely sight, clearly unimpressed. He hardly reacted when Galo laughed and ruffled his hair.</p>
<p>“Seen it,” Lio grumbled. He yawned and let himself lean into Galo’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but it’s still pretty,” Thyma said. She had stepped onto the lowest bar of the railing and was leaning over the edge, looking down. “And when was the last time you saw it in daylight?”</p>
<p>“It looks better at night.”</p>
<p>“Ooh, it probably is really cute right now, with all the string lights. Maybe you should bring Galo back here later.”</p>
<p>Lio glanced at Galo, who shrugged and gave him a smile that was just as dazzling as the sun and nearly as blinding. Lio looked away, unable to help the way the corners of his own mouth curled into a returning smile. “Maybe.”</p>
<p>Thyma and Lavinia shared a look.</p>
<p>Lio lead the way back down the trail, clearly eager to be indoors again. Thyma fell into step with Galo and asked him the usual conversation starters; How did you two meet, Where do you work, and How are you liking the town? Galo was conscious of Lavinia’s presence and he was careful not to tell Thyma anything that contradicted with what he had told Lio’s family. It didn’t seem like Lio had talked to Thyma about the particulars of their relationship yet, but she accepted the holes in his stories and didn’t press for too much detail. Eventually, the conversation circled back to Lio.</p>
<p>“I’ve always loved winter and Lio’s always hated it. So, he’s used to having me drag him around for stuff like this,” Thyma said. “One time, back when we were kids-- I think we were six, seven years old?-- Lio and I were out playing in the woods right after it snowed, and I fell into a pit.”</p>
<p>“Were you hurt?” Galo asked.</p>
<p>“Luckily, no. The snow padded my fall and it wasn’t that deep but, to six-year-old me, it seemed enormous. I immediately started crying and Lio tried to help me out, but he couldn’t reach me without falling in himself.” Thyma laughed, raising a hand to cover her mouth. “We were both old enough to know that it would be better for him to leave me there and go for help, but I was terrified of being alone. So, Lio jumped down into the pit with me!”</p>
<p>Galo barked a laugh. “That sounds like him!”</p>
<p>“Right? In the end, we were only stuck there for about an hour. Ariadne came and found us when we didn’t show up for lunch.”</p>
<p>As they approached the house, Lio thought he caught a glimpse of Foresight’s broad shoulders through one of the kitchen windows. But by the time they had crossed the backyard and were inside, only Ariadne was in the kitchen. She smiled when she greeted Thyma-- the first real smile that Galo had seen from her-- and though the circles under her eyes were darker, she seemed more relaxed. Andromeda appeared shortly after and, once Thyma received her blessing in the form of a purple lipstick print across her nose, she brought out the ice cream maker and launched into a detailed story about how she had received it.</p>
<p>“How was the fundraiser?” Lio asked Ariadne, making sure that Galo was distracted by the intricacies of handmade ice cream production. “You’re not as hungover as I thought you’d be.”</p>
<p>“Ha ha. It was really good, actually.” Ariadne lifted an eyebrow. “What did you really want to ask me? We brought back some unopened wine, it’s in the pantry.”</p>
<p>“I am highly interested in that, thank you. Was the trophy husband just here?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Looks like he’s gonna shut himself in the office again. Why?”</p>
<p>“No reason.”</p>
<p>Ariadne frowned like she didn’t believe him, but didn’t say anything else on the matter. However, when her gaze flicked briefly to Galo, Lio knew that she had the same suspicions that he did regarding Foresight’s repeated absence.</p>
<p>Lunch turned into a taste-testing event of increasingly strange ice cream flavors (they should have stopped when Ares added fried chicken skin) and Thyma rolled out of the Fotia house that afternoon with a sense of satisfaction and a touch of nausea, but no regrets. Lio, on the other hand, wished that he’d had the opportunity to speak privately with her, but he was glad to see Thyma so cheerful and at ease. He knew that he probably should have just texted her, but he felt that explaining Galo’s presence should be an in-person type of conversation. Lio decided to settle for a phone call but first he checked on Galo, who had gone up to the den.</p>
<p>Lavinia had opened the balcony door and was showing Galo the view (Lio had steadfastly refused to go anywhere outside during the house tour). Meanwhile, Ares had unearthed their old Nintendo console from somewhere and he was trying to figure out which of the dozen cables he held actually belonged to it.</p>
<p>“Have you seen fuckface today?” Lio asked.</p>
<p>“Nope,” Ares replied, making the ‘p’ pop. He discarded another cable. “Can’t say I mind one bit.”</p>
<p>“So, he’s avoiding Galo, right?”</p>
<p>“Certainly seems like it. I don’t suppose you’d know why? It can’t be muscle envy.”</p>
<p>“Maybe it’s his positive, can-do attitude?”</p>
<p>Ares paused what he was doing and glanced at Galo out on the balcony. “Maybe. Foreskin’s definitely gotten worse at keeping the mask on around us. Does he need to save face in front of Galo, for some reason?”</p>
<p>Galo noticed Lio inside and waved at him, smiling happily. Lio smiled and waved back, but stopped when he saw Ares staring and scowled at him. “What?”</p>
<p>“How well do you actually know this guy?”</p>
<p>Lio was saved the trouble of changing the subject when Lavinia and Galo came inside, effectively ending the conversation. He pulled Galo partway into the hall to speak to him. “Hey, are you good? I’m going to take a very long bath.”</p>
<p>Galo’s smile was a bit softer now. “I’m fine, but thanks for worrying about me.”</p>
<p>Ares, however, had several years more experience than Lio when it came to being an annoying brother. “Aww, under the mistletoe? Aren’t you two <em>cute</em>.”</p>
<p>Galo and Lio looked up in sync. There, at the top of the doorway to the hall, was an unassuming sprig of mistletoe tied with a red ribbon. Lio tried not to react as he came to the realization that not only was Ares still suspicious of their relationship, but he was now actively picking at the loose threads in their story. Instead, Lio rolled his eyes and adopted the dismissive air of an atheist who has made an active choice to be annoying about being an atheist. “<em>Actually</em>, since mistletoe is a parasitic plant, I don’t--”</p>
<p>Lio was cut off by the touch of Galo’s hand on his chin. He turned away from Ares and was startled to discover that Galo’s face was very close to his own and coming closer, long lashes fluttering closed over blue eyes. Lio put a hand out and braced himself on Galo’s bicep, face going bright red, and a protest half-formed on his lips until Galo’s thumb pressed over them, silencing him.</p>
<p><em>A stage kiss</em>, Lio’s brain supplied, as Galo’s mouth touched the back of his own thumb instead of Lio’s. He was facing away from the couch, so it would have looked like a real kiss to Ares and Lavinia. And, just to really sell it, Galo pecked Lio on the cheek before pulling back, giving him a smile that was nervous but pleased with himself all the same.</p>
<p>“Enjoy your bath,” Galo said. There wasn’t anything sexy or suggestive about the way he spoke, but Lio’s heart was hammering in his chest over the chance that Galo could be thinking about what he looked like naked. And ohgod, now Lio was thinking about <em>Galo</em> naked, in a bath, beads of water and sweat rolling over his skin--</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you!” Lio said with as much dignity as he could muster. He didn’t dare look back at the couch, knowing that he had lost control over his expression, but he pat Galo’s bicep in a ‘good job’ sort of way and left the room as quickly as possible without arousing further suspicion.</p>
<p><em>Arousing</em>, Lio’s traitor brain echoed unhelpfully. As soon as he was out of earshot, Lio rubbed his hands over his face and groaned.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“<em>A phone call, Lio? This can’t be a Christmas miracle, so what’s the occasion?</em>”</p>
<p>“Sorry, are you busy? I just feel like we didn’t really get to talk today.” Lio barricaded himself in the guest bathroom, which had a large, claw-foot tub. While the bath filled slowly with steamy water, he balanced the phone on his shoulder and dug through the cabinet under the sink, smelling all the soaps.</p>
<p>“<em>I can come visit you in the city next week, if you’ve got time.</em>” Thyma continued when Lio didn’t answer. “<em>Is something wrong? I can talk for a bit, but I have very concrete plans for a very long bath.</em>”</p>
<p>“Weird, I’m also running a bath.”</p>
<p>“<em>Great minds, and all that</em>,” Thyma hummed approvingly. “<em>It’s nice to have a soak after a hike. Anyway, are you calling to tell me why you’ve been keeping your beautiful, </em><em>blue </em><em>boyfriend a secret from me?</em>”</p>
<p>“Sort of.” An exposition wasn’t necessary when he was talking to Thyma, so Lio got straight to the point. “I didn’t tell you about Galo because he’s not really my boyfriend. I put an ad on CraigsList to hire someone to pretend to be my boyfriend and piss off my family.”</p>
<p>“<em>O</em><em>h, o</em><em>kay!</em>” Thyma said with the enthusiasm of someone who didn’t entirely understand what was happening, but chose to be supportive anyway. “<em>It doesn’t seem like he’s very good at being a bad boy</em>.”</p>
<p>“He’s not. It turns out that he knows Foresight, so he’s actually on his best behavior, but... I like having him here? I don’t know.” Lio pressed his thumb to his lips, mirroring how Galo had touched him. He remembered how much larger Galo’s hands were and flushed. “I’ve told him that he can leave whenever he wants. I’m worried about giving him Stockholm Syndrome.”</p>
<p>“<em>So, the firefighter thing is, like, his theme? Well, I support all sex workers--</em>”</p>
<p>“He’s not a sex worker!” Lio scream-whispered, nearly dropping his phone. He was desperately trying and failing to not think about what Galo would look like in hot pants. “He’s <em>really</em> a firefighter and he’s <em>really</em> nice and he has an <em>eight </em>pack, Thyma!”</p>
<p>Thyma laughed so hard that Lio had to wait for her to calm down so that she could speak without giggling. “<em>Sorry, it’s just… </em> <em>it's</em><em> funny that you brought a firefighter this time, </em> <em>instead of an arsonist</em> <em>. </em> <em>You really just met him? </em> <em>Y</em><em>ou're getting along pretty well.</em>”</p>
<p>“I said he was on his best behavior.”</p>
<p>“<em>S</em><em>ure</em><em>, but that’s never stopped you from being an asshole to someone</em>. <em>You like him</em>.”</p>
<p>“He’s... not really my type,” Lio said unconvincingly. He found a bag filled with bath bombs and lingered on a vibrant blue one, but he deliberately set it aside.</p>
<p>“<em>Really? But he’s </em>really<em> nice and he has an </em>eight<em> pack, Lio</em>.” Thyma echoed Lio’s words back at him with more mischief than Lio knew she had in her. “<em>And don’t think I d</em><em>idn’t</em><em> notice how touchy-feely you two are</em>.”</p>
<p>“I’m touchy-feely with all of my paramours, Thyma.”</p>
<p>“<em>Putting the ‘ho’ back in the holidays. But if he’s not your date, what is he?</em>”</p>
<p>“We’ve expressed verbal confirmation of our friendship.”</p>
<p>“<em>How romantic</em>.” Thyma laughed again. “<em>Okay, I’ll stop teasing you. T</em><em>ell me how Gueira and Meis are doing</em>...”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>It had been a few years since Galo last touched a gaming console and he did not do very well at Mario Kart. But on the bright side, Ares and Lavinia spent most of their matches specifically trying to sabotage each other so they also placed terribly. As they yelled at the TV and tossed pillows at each other in a very unsportsmanlike way, Galo couldn’t help but remember the quiet of his own childhood home and wondered what it would have been like to grow up with siblings.</p>
<p>“So… why do you guys hate Kray so much?” Galo asked. He avoided bringing up the subject with Lio, but he was too curious to let it go.</p>
<p>They both looked curiously at Galo, then at each other. Ares shrugged as though to say ‘why not?’ but that made Lavinia press her lips into a thin line.</p>
<p>“Don’t get involved,” Lavinia told him.</p>
<p>“Lio’s not going to talk about it,” Ares argued.</p>
<p>“Nobody likes a meddler,” Lavinia said. “Don’t come crying when your bedroom gets set on fire.”</p>
<p>Ares ignored her, turning his attention to Galo. “You probably know the origin story, right? Foresight started his own pharmaceutical company, moved to big city Promepolis. He may have been a big fish in your little pond of a rural town, but he didn’t swim so well in the ocean. His company wasn’t bad, per se--”</p>
<p>“Not yet,” Lavinia interrupted.</p>
<p>“Not yet,” Ares agreed, “But he was a nobody and had trouble getting funding. His company would have gone under if he hadn’t married our mother.”</p>
<p>“But they like each other, right?” Galo ventured.</p>
<p>“I mean, he definitely likes mom’s money and the Fotia name...”</p>
<p>“And mother does prefer a man shaped like a Dorito,” Lavinia added.</p>
<p>“<em>Gross</em>.” Ares wrinkled his nose. “You just ruined Doritos for me. And I thought you weren’t meddling?”</p>
<p>“You’re so bad at it that I’m compelled to help you. Foresight is her third husband,” Lavinia explained. “I wish she’d kept the second one, he was nice.”</p>
<p>“I think she liked him too much. You were probably too young to remember, but she really changed after dad died,” Ares said. Galo caught a glimpse of sorrow on his face, but Ares buried it under his usual haughty expression.</p>
<p>“We can’t all be ancient and crumbling, like you.”</p>
<p>“I’m going to cannibalize you and steal your youth. Anyway, now Foresight Pharmaceuticals participates in price gouging, so he’s doing just fine. I thought they would finally announce their divorce this year, but we’re still waiting on it.”</p>
<p>“...Thanks for telling me,” Galo said, even though he didn’t feel particularly thankful.</p>
<p>Unsettled by the conversation, Galo made some excuse and left the room. He still had more questions he wanted to ask, but he also had the feeling that trying to get those answers from Ares would be more trouble than it was worth. He was weighing his options as he descended the stairs, but then a pair of raised voices disturbed his thoughts and he stopped in his tracks.</p>
<p>“--the point of having us all here if you’re working the entire time!” Ariadne yelled, sounding exasperated. Her voice was coming from the remodeled office at the foot of the stairs.</p>
<p>“I’m making sure that I have something to leave behind for my children!” Andromeda yelled back. “Even if you’re <em>ungrateful</em>--”</p>
<p>“Did we ask you to do that?! You keep saying that you’re doing all these things <em>for</em> us, but you’ve never asked what any of us actually want!”</p>
<p>Galo held his breath and silently tiptoed backwards up the stairs. Once he was out of danger, he slowly exhaled and looked back down the hall. He couldn’t go downstairs and he didn’t want to go back to the den… his eyes landed on the bathroom. Galo hesitated until he heard Ariadne’s voice rise in volume again and he tapped his knuckles on the door.</p>
<p>“<em>What?</em>” Lio snapped.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Galo whispered as loud as he dared, “Can I come in?”</p>
<p>“Uh.”</p>
<p>Galo heard the slosh of water and the flap of fabric.</p>
<p>“Yes! Yes, you can.”</p>
<p>Galo moved quickly and quietly inside, closing the door with a soft <em>click</em>. He glanced cautiously over his shoulder and saw that Lio had pulled the shower curtain all the way around the tub, hiding him from view. He let out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>“Is something wrong?” Lio asked, speaking lowly so that his voice wouldn’t echo.</p>
<p>“Not really. I’m just, um, hiding.” Galo turned to face the tub, unsure if Lio could see him through the curtain. Lio’s clothes were neatly folded on the bathroom counter and he tried not to stare at them. “I was gonna go downstairs, but Ariadne and your mom are in her office with the door open...”</p>
<p>“Fighting?” Lio guessed.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Galo admitted. “And I didn’t wanna go back to the den, so can I hide in here?”</p>
<p>“Make yourself comfortable. You know, hiding in the bathroom is actually a Fotia right of passage, so congratulations. You’ve been initiated.”</p>
<p>Galo chuckled and sat down on the bath mat, leaning his back against the tub so that he and Lio were only separated by the curtain. He heard the water splash again, but Lio didn’t say anything so Galo stayed where he was. The air in the bathroom was humid and heavy with the scent of something floral. “Smells good in here.”</p>
<p>“It’s a bath bomb. I nicked one of Ariadne’s.”</p>
<p>Galo hummed and tapped his fingers on the mat. He remembered something Lavinia had said to him that morning. “What instrument do you play?”</p>
<p>Lio huffed in annoyance and Galo smiled.</p>
<p>“Was I not supposed to find out?”</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Lio mumbled. “I play the violin. But if you’re looking for a demonstration, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. My violin isn’t here, it’s back at my apartment.”</p>
<p>“Does that mean you still play?”</p>
<p>“Sometimes. On special occasions.”</p>
<p>Galo increased the tempo of his tapping. He supposed that if he was going to ask Lio questions, it might as well be while he was trapped in a bathroom. “Lio, is your family famous?”</p>
<p>That got a laugh out of Lio. “You didn’t Google me?”</p>
<p>“No. You Google’d me?”</p>
<p>“Yup. But I think the only thing that came up was a newspaper article?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I pulled a couple of kids and a goat out of a barn fire a few years ago.”</p>
<p>“Galo, that’s incredible!”</p>
<p>“I guess. I mean, I’m glad I was able to help them, but it’s weird that people wanted to give me an award for it. I’m just doing the job I signed up for.” Galo remembered the picture from the news article. He had been hospitalized after the incident and Kray had come to visit him. The photo was of Galo, looking tired, bandaged, and scorch-marked, but happy. Kray stood next to his hospital bed, smiling with pride.</p>
<p>“I think you deserved an award for how beat up you got.”</p>
<p>Galo looked over his shoulder at the curtain, where he thought Lio’s face would be, and smiled. “So, you did read it.”</p>
<p>Lio didn’t say anything, which was answer enough. Galo grinned and thumped his knuckles on the tub.</p>
<p>“Hello? Lio, are you there? What would come up if I Google’d you?”</p>
<p>“Google me yourself.” Lio must have sunk almost completely into the bath because his words burbled at the end.</p>
<p>“I don’t like doing that. I’d rather have people tell me about themselves.” Galo waited for a response but it never came. Figuring that marked the end of Lio’s generosity with his personal information, Galo faced forward and opted for a subject change. “Do you have experience with covering up scars? With tattooing, I mean.”</p>
<p>“Yes, but not much. Do you have something you want to hide?”</p>
<p>“Maybe. I have a scar on my left shoulder from that time.”</p>
<p>“From a burn?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s about the size of my hand.”</p>
<p>“Can I see?”</p>
<p>“...Sure.”</p>
<p>Galo pulled his shirt over his head and he heard the curtain move behind him. He stayed facing straight ahead, hands fidgeting with the fabric in his lap. Galo knew exactly what it looked like from staring at the mirror for too long, but he wondered how it seemed from Lio’s point of view; an uneven, discolored patch of skin on the top of his left shoulder that mimicked a pauldron, with a thick line of scar tissue running along most of the zigzag edge. His right shoulder had a similar scar, but more faint and with cleaner edges.</p>
<p>“Both?” Lio’s voice was hushed.</p>
<p>“The right one’s the donor site for the skin graft.”</p>
<p>Galo felt the gentle press of fingers on the scar and shivered. Lio’s hand jerked away, the water sloshing.</p>
<p>“Sorry--”</p>
<p>“You’re fine, just surprised me.”</p>
<p>Lio’s hand returned to his shoulder, delicately tracing the edge of the scar, and Galo felt goosebumps rise on his skin. “It’s really just a burn?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. A wooden beam fell on me and should've shattered my collarbone, but it didn’t. Good news, it had burned up so it wasn’t as heavy. Bad news, it was still burning when it hit me.”</p>
<p>Lio sighed, his warm breath ghosting over Galo’s neck. “I’ll have to ask Meis about it, I’ve never tried to tattoo over this much. I’ve had a burn scar covered on my forearm, but--”</p>
<p>“You have a tattoo!” Galo exclaimed. He caught Lio’s wrist and started pulling it forward over his shoulder. He saw a glimpse of green ink, but Lio flailed in the bath and yanked his arm away, sending a splash of warm water onto Galo’s back.</p>
<p>“Idiot! I’m not going to show you right <em>now.</em>” Lio splashed him again, just for good measure, and Galo laughed, his ears burning red. “It’d be weird to be a tattoo artist without any tattoos.”</p>
<p>“I guess, but then you’d be like a unicorn. How many do you have?”</p>
<p>“A few. And if you’re asking to see me naked, you’re doing a very bad job.”</p>
<p>“Well, I promise I’ll try harder next time.”</p>
<p>A silence fell over the bathroom. Galo felt his blush spread and he hastily yanked his shirt back on, ignoring where the fabric clung to his wet skin.</p>
<p>“I’m going to make a sandwich!” Galo announced and sprang to his feet, going for the door. “Thanks, Lio!”</p>
<p>“Galo--!”</p>
<p>The door clicked shut and Lio listened to Galo’s fading footsteps. He inhaled deeply and slid down in the bath until his head was fully submerged in the blue-tinged water. A series of bubbles broke the surface and Lio’s scream of mortification could faintly be heard.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. I Saw Mommy Pegging Santa Claus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“You know what they say,” Lio began slowly, “The best defense mechanism is a good offense… mechanism.”</p>
<p>The silence stretched on.</p>
<p>Lio gripped the steering wheel and tried again. “Galo, I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>Galo sighed and slowly sat back in the seat. He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Lio solemnly. “You should be. That was a terrible joke.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It snowed today and I got the motivation to finish this!!</p>
<p>CONTENT WARNING: There is blood in this chapter! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the early hours of the final morning, it happened: Lio stole all the blankets and woke Galo up by kicking him in the shin. It was still well before Galo wanted to be awake, so he huffed and tugged his half of the covers back over, but had to fight Lio, who was muttering threats even though he didn’t seem entirely conscious.</p>
<p>“Imma fuck you up,” Lio mumbled, clinging onto the fabric so that he was dragged closer to Galo. “Fuckin’ murder-kill.”</p>
<p>“Concerning, but cute,” Galo yawned, patting Lio on the head in an attempt to get him to settle. It had the opposite effect and Galo jolted awake when Lio burrowed his face into his neck, curling his body towards Galo.</p>
<p>Galo felt his heart ricochet inside his chest like it was a pinball machine. He put his hands on Lio’s shoulders to gently pry him off, but noticed that his body was tense and trembling. “Are you cold?”</p>
<p>“Snow’s cold,” Lio sighed, his lips moving against Galo’s throat.</p>
<p>“You’re not in the snow,” Galo whispered. He hesitated, invented a half-hearted excuse about hypothermia, and wrapped his arms around Lio, pulling him to his chest. When Galo thought about it, it wasn’t surprising that he hadn’t known that Lio had tattoos since he was always wearing at least two layers of clothes. Eventually, Lio’s shivering stopped and he relaxed, his breathing deep and even once more.</p>
<p>Galo knew that he was a little out of practice, but he was pretty sure that some of his and Lio’s behavior did not fall under the ‘platonic friend’ category, or even the ‘fake boyfriend’ category. However, that didn’t stop him from pressing a kiss to the crown of Lio’s head.</p>
<p>“We’ll talk about it later,” Galo said aloud, more for his own benefit than for Lio’s. It solidified the moment, making it more real and less dreamlike. He pinched his arm though, just in case, and smiled when it hurt.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Several hours later, Galo had changed his mind. And although Lio entered the kitchen that Sunday morning with no memory of waking during the night (and with no knowledge of what had happened to Galo when he’d gone out for a run), he knew instantly that something was wrong.</p>
<p>Galo looked up from the kitchen table when Lio came in, opened his mouth, shut it, and settled on a stiff nod. He lowered his eyes, obviously embarrassed, and busied himself with stirring what appeared to be a mug full of whipped cream.</p>
<p>Ares was also seated at the table, but he had his phone out and was working on a sudoku puzzle. This indicated that he and Galo hadn’t been talking with each other and that the strange silence in the kitchen had been there prior to Lio’s arrival. “Good morning, fellow spawn. How are you enjoying the dawn of the final day?”</p>
<p>“It’s a magnificent sunrise,” Lio said, though it was long past sunrise. He made a beeline for the coffee press, but instead found a large, paper carton of hot coffee and a box of pastries on the counter. Lio hummed in approval and selected a chocolate croissant from the mix. “Who got breakfast?”</p>
<p>“Mom,” Ares said, not looking up from his game.</p>
<p>Lio poured a coffee and waited expectantly for him to continue. “And?”</p>
<p>“And what?”</p>
<p>“Why are you both being so quiet?”</p>
<p>Ares held up his phone to show Lio the sudoku app.</p>
<p>Galo offered Lio a weak smile. “Still asleep, I guess.”</p>
<p>“Is that why you’re drinking whipped cream for breakfast?”</p>
<p>Galo looked down at his mug in surprise, even though he’d just been having a staring contest with it. “...There was more coffee when I started.”</p>
<p>Lio glanced between the two of them, frowned, and knocked back half of his own coffee in one go. It was too fucking early for this, but if Ares or his mother had done something to upset Galo, then he needed to amend the situation before they returned to Promepolis. With his hands full of pastry and coffee, Lio hooked his foot around a chair leg to pull it out, and he settled into the seat next to Galo.</p>
<p>“When do you want to head out?” Lio asked. Galo didn’t respond immediately, his eyebrows raising in surprise, and Lio wondered if he was put off by traveling on Christmas Day. “Is there a time that you need to be back by?”</p>
<p>“No, I have tomorrow off, too.” Galo put that shaky smile back on his face. It didn’t suit him at all. “Whenever you want to go is fine.”</p>
<p>“I work tomorrow. I mean, not until tomorrow night, but I’ll need some time to detox from this trip,” Lio joked, hoping to make Galo smile for real. It didn’t work. “Did something happen?”</p>
<p>“No,” Galo said quickly, as though determined to prove what a terrible liar he was. Lio thought that he would make an attempt to change the subject, but Galo’s ‘no’ continued to hang awkwardly in the air between them.</p>
<p>Lio was contemplating the best way to threaten Ares when their mother swept into the room. Ariadne trailed in unhappily behind her, like a cat on an invisible leash.</p>
<p>“Good morning, my dears!” Andromeda stood behind Lio and put her hands on his shoulders, giving him a squeeze. “Lio, what time were you planning to leave today?”</p>
<p>“We were actually just discussing that,” Lio said dryly. His shoulders remained tense after Andromeda let go.</p>
<p>“Well, you’re going to have to stick around for a few hours for a family bonding activity, since I don’t spend enough quality time with my children!” Andromeda smiled broadly at Ariadne, who regarded their mother with dead eyes that did not reflect the light. “It’s been a while since we’ve all done archery together! How about we meet outside in about an hour, when it’s a bit warmer out?”</p>
<p>“The mid 30’s is not warm,” Lio protested.</p>
<p>“The last time all of us were armed, I ended up in the hospital and you got rid of our fencing gear,” Ares said.</p>
<p>“You’re the one who wanted to use real swords,” Ariadne deflected, trying to fake a breezy attitude that she obviously didn’t feel.</p>
<p>“Because I didn’t think you would actually <em>stab</em> me.”</p>
<p>“I’m hoping that this time will go differently since we’re all <em>adults</em> here,” Andromeda stressed, although Ariadne and Ares had been 27 and 25 during the incident in question, “And you’ll be pointing your weapons at the targets and not at each other.”</p>
<p>“High expectations,” Lio murmured into his croissant as he watched his siblings glare at each other.</p>
<p>It had been a surprisingly pleasant visit, but Lio had the experience and sense to tell that things were about to start rolling downhill very quickly. After breakfast, he dragged Galo back upstairs and made sure that their bags were packed so that they could be ready to leave at any time. Galo was compliant, but he remained untalkative even when they were alone.</p>
<p>“Lunch will probably just be leftovers. We can hang around for that, or we could leave and get kangaroo burgers,” Lio suggested, trying to bait Galo into conversation. He was sitting on the bed, the contents of his backpack strewn out in front of him as he tried to remember which hair products he’d brought and which ones he’d stolen from the bathroom. Galo sat below him on the floor, his bag mostly packed, and he scrolled through an app on his phone.</p>
<p>“What ever works for you is fine.”</p>
<p>Lio lay down on his stomach and propped his chin up on his folded arms at the edge of the bed, bringing his face closer to Galo’s.“Was it something I did?”</p>
<p>“Huh?” Galo looked at Lio in alarm and his phone almost slipped out of his hand. He set it on the floor, revealing that he’d been going through his camera roll. “No! I just… I have a lot on my mind today. Got a lot to think about.”</p>
<p>“Right, of course.” Lio felt his face flush with shame, because of course not everything was about him. Of course Galo would have mixed feelings about a holiday he could no longer share with his family. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”</p>
<p>Galo managed a small smile and it came more naturally this time. “Thanks, Lio.”</p>
<p>Wanting to give him some space, Lio left the room with a handful of toiletries-- Lavinia’s would be put back but the other two were fair game-- and he tried to think of a way to cheer Galo up. He wondered if suggesting any stereotypical Christmas activities would be appreciated or if it would be like pouring salt into a wound. Would his efforts be seen as pitying or insincere since he didn’t celebrate the holiday? Did Galo even want to hang around or did he just want to be back in his own home as quickly as possible?</p>
<p>Lio’s thoughts were interrupted when he passed Ares in the hall. He had almost completely put aside the suspicion that his family had done something to Galo, but the feeling returned in full-force when Ares purposely dodged eye contact. Lio stopped walking at glared at him.</p>
<p>“What did you do to Galo?”</p>
<p>“Why do you assume it was me?” Ares brushed past him, but Lio refused to be ignored and threw a dry shampoo bar, hitting him on the shoulder. It fell onto the floor and Ares stopped walking to frown at it. “Is that mine?”</p>
<p>“You know something. Tell me.” Lio’s eyes blazed with righteous fury and he hefted a bottle of conditioner in silent threat.</p>
<p>Ares glared back at Lio, but seemed to decide that it wasn’t worth the effort. He sighed and glanced up and down the hall, knowing at the very least that Lavinia was probably listening to them from her room. “I was out smoking this morning, behind the garage. I overheard Foresight and your himbo fighting about something.”</p>
<p>“Galo doesn’t pick fights.”</p>
<p>“Which is definitely bizarre, since you’re usually into idiots who punch first and think later,” Ares said, making a half-assed attempt to turn the conversation back on Lio and his suspicious relationship with Galo. “I don’t know what it was about, but you know what Foresight is like. It wasn’t a pleasant conversation.”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Anxiety itched like a second skin on Lio, making him tense and irritable. He cycled between clenching his fists and clenching his teeth, dissatisfied with his own lack ability. And, to an extent, frustrated that social convention prevented him fromrepeatedly smashing his fists into Foresight’s face until his hands broke. Granted, he needed his hands to work, but it was a sacrifice that he was willing to make.</p>
<p><em>A sacrifice for who?</em> Lio’s anger burned down to guilt when thought about how disappointed Galo would be if he knew how frequently Lio fantasized about utilizing violence as a solution to his problems. Nevertheless, Lio made the decision to behave like a perfectly repressed adult who only did responsible adult things. The main goal was to get Galo away from Foresight as quickly as possible, so they would leave immediately after the mandatory bonding activity. Thereafter, Lio would buy as many kangaroo burgers and do as many Christmas-related things as Galo’s heart desired.</p>
<p>The hole in Lio’s plan was that he wasn’t expecting Kray Foresight to join them. But there he was, standing on the dead grass behind Andromeda as she aimed a shot, with his hands folded behind his back and a fake smile in place. At least, he was struggling to keep the smile up since Ariadne had apparently given up on pretense and scowled at him over the top of her spiked coffee. Whenever Foresight turned away from her, she would drip her finger into the drink and flick drops at his expensive, white coat.</p>
<p>Andromeda did her best to keep a conversation going, but it was obvious that they were all only there at her behest. There were frequently long silences that no one wanted to fill, save for the irregular <em>thump</em> of arrows striking their targets. Even Lavinia wasn’t scoring as well and Lio knew that, to her, they were all intruding on sacred ground.</p>
<p>Still, Lio was glad for the opportunity to shoot something. It had been a while since he’d last touched a bow and, after he loosed the first few arrows, it was easy to let muscle memory take over and fall back into the flow. The discomfort brought by the cold faded into the background as Lio’s body began to hum with a familiar song.</p>
<p>
  <em>stance, nock, hands, draw, anchor, aim, release</em>
</p>
<p>The tension ebbed out of Lio’s shoulders and his accuracy improved with every shot. His first arrow had landed at the edge of the target, but he gravitated naturally towards the bullseye and stayed there. When he released the final arrow from his quiver and that one, too, joined the cluster at the center, Lio was pulled from the stream by the sound of Galo’s soft exhalation behind him. Lio turned to look at him and he could tell that Galo’s blush was due to embarrassment and not the cold.</p>
<p>“You’re really good at this,” Galo said. His voice was at a lower volume than he usually spoke and he tried and failed not to glance in Foresight’s direction.</p>
<p>Luckily, Ares and Ariadne stood in line between them and provided a much needed, but aggressively silent, buffer. Neither of them spoke but their movements made it very obvious that they were in direct competition with each other.</p>
<p>“That’s what professional training will do for you,” Lio said, deflecting Galo’s compliment.</p>
<p>“I don’t appreciate that you can still shoot this well,” Lavinia said sourly.</p>
<p>“I probably can’t pull off as many trick shots as I used to.”</p>
<p>“So, do a trick shot.”</p>
<p>Lio shook his head. As much as he would love to start a grudge match, what he really wanted was to be on the road back home. He pushed his bow into Galo’s hands. “Hold this, I’m going to grab the arrows.”</p>
<p>“<em>L</em><em>io</em>,” Andromeda scolded as Lio crossed the yard, “You wait until everyone has stopped shooting!”</p>
<p>“If anyone shoots me, it’ll be on purpose!” Lio called back.</p>
<p>Technically he was right, but Andromeda was actively trying to avoid an incident and she made sure that everyone lowered their weapons. She sent Foresight to collect the arrows from her own target, like a good little errand boy, while she tried to convince Ariadne to let her sample her spiked coffee.</p>
<p>Galo waited awkwardly, holding Lio’s bow with both hands. It was less complicated than the weird one Lavinia used and looked more or less what Galo thought a bow should look like. He tugged experimentally on the bowstring, just to see how it felt.</p>
<p>“Give it a try,” Lio said when he returned, the quiver at his hip full once more. “I promise that it’s just as fun as it looks.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?” Galo asked, but he couldn’t mask his excitement.</p>
<p>“What makes you think I do anything that isn’t fun?” Lio teased him, giving Galo a reassuring smile. “Lavinia will actually shoot me if I keep outscoring her, so you’d better take over.”</p>
<p>“Wait, how are you keeping track of points?” Galo squinted at the line of targets-- they were about the length of a Burning Rescue truck away-- but they weren’t marked with any numbers, just the alternating rings of color.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it. Draw the bow and copy what you saw me doing.”</p>
<p>Lio stood in front of Galo and gently corrected his form, adjusting how he held the grip and showing him where to anchor his draw hand at his mouth. The back of Lio’s knuckles brushed lightly over his cheek as he moved Galo’s hand, and they both pretended not to notice how his face warmed at the contact. But when Galo completed the draw, his left arm twitched and he lowered the bow.</p>
<p>“Are you alright?” Lio asked. He was worried that he was starting to sound like a broken record, but the tangible pain on Galo’s face had alarmed him.</p>
<p>“I’m fine! My shoulder just acts up a bit when it’s cold like this.”</p>
<p>“Does it hurt?”</p>
<p>Galo shrugged, rolling his shoulders. He pulled back the bowstring again and this time held it steady. “Easy breezy.”</p>
<p>“Hah. Now try it with an arrow.”</p>
<p>Lio lead Galo through a few shots before falling back to watch. He felt a wave of nostalgia for their first meeting, when their roles were reversed and Galo had been the instructor. Overall, Galo wasn’t terrible for his first time using a bow, but it’d been a while since any of the Fotias had been around a rookie archer. He attracted their attention when he put too much power into his shots and struck the same tree twice. When a third shot settled in the trunk and sent a pine cone tumbling out of the tree, Lavinia’s laughter, though quickly muffled, served as an ice breaker.</p>
<p>“We all have to start somewhere!” Andromeda said cheerfully. She shivered and handed her bow to Foresight. He had been looking for his cue to leave and his expression became pinched when he realized that he’d be playing the caddie for a little longer. “I’m going to grab some coffee from the house. <em>No </em>trick shots!”</p>
<p>As soon as Andromeda rounded the greenhouse and was out of sight, Lavinia turned on Lio, staring him down. “Hit a pine cone.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, hit a pine cone!” Ares grinned. Ariadne also seemed tired of their competition and she watched Lio expectantly.</p>
<p>“I wanna see that, too,” Galo said. He was smiling again and Lio couldn’t decide if he hated or loved the way his stomach cartwheeled at the sight.</p>
<p>“Fine, but don’t be mad when I hit it,” Lio said, accepting the bow from Galo.</p>
<p>Lio examined the trees at the edge of the yard. Not many pine cones were visible, as most of them had fallen weeks ago, but he spied a lucky branch higher up that was mostly bare of needles and had a single gray pine cone hanging from it. A bunch of them together would have been the best option, but Lio told himself not to overthink it and cleared his mind. He kept his eyes locked on his target as he nocked and drew the arrow back, aiming high and settling his right hand at the corner of his mouth. Lio exhaled and released the arrow.</p>
<p>It struck true and Lio heard a distant <em>snap</em> as the pine cone was dislodged and fell into the shrubbery, the arrow firmly embedded. Galo forgot to be self-conscious and let out a whoop of celebration.</p>
<p>“I hate you,” Lavinia said.</p>
<p>Lio laughed and went back to aiming for the target, but he was pleased with his success. His mind drifted this time and his shots weren’t as precise, but he was letting himself enjoy the giddy feeling that came from making Galo smile.</p>
<p>
  <em>stance, nock, hands</em>
</p>
<p>(The memory of how Galo blushed when Lio touched his cheek.)</p>
<p>
  <em>draw, anchor, aim</em>
</p>
<p>(Galo’s skin under Lio’s fingertips in the bathroom.)</p>
<p>
  <em>release</em>
</p>
<p>“Aw, looks like you used up all your luck,” Galo said, standing near Ares since he hadn’t resumed shooting. Lio’s most recent arrow had landed at the edge of the target.</p>
<p>“Oh, is <em>luck</em> the problem?” Ares hummed thoughtfully, trying to bait a reaction.</p>
<p>Lio ignored him and plucked a new arrow from the quiver. He tried not to let himself be annoyed by how Ares was only interested in using his powers of perception for evil.</p>
<p>
  <em>stance, nock, hands</em>
</p>
<p>Heavy, measured footsteps signaled Foresight’s approach. Lio didn’t look at him and instead thought peaceful, calming thoughts about the crisp air and the sound of wind in the trees. He definitely wasn’t thinking violent thoughts, oh no, not him. He checked how he held the grip, focused on the sting in his muscles as they began to tire.</p>
<p>“Galo, I wanted to clarify something we spoke about earlier. Might I have a word with you?” Foresight said.</p>
<p>“Actually--” Galo’s tone implied that there was nothing he would rather do less, so Foresight cut him off.</p>
<p>
  <em>draw, anchor</em>
</p>
<p>Lio held the bow steady as he drew the arrow back and the fletching scratched his cheek. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears.</p>
<p>“It won’t take long.” Foresight dropped a heavy hand on Galo’s left shoulder and squeezed.</p>
<p>Galo recoiled.</p>
<p>
  <em>aim</em>
</p>
<p>(The memory of the news article about Galo. Kray had visited him, knew about the injury. He’d done it on purpose.)</p>
<p>Anger flared bright in Lio and he turned.</p>
<p>
  <em>release</em>
</p>
<p>Kray grunted in pain as the arrow made a home in his thigh and buried itself deep, near where his leg connected to his hip. He staggered and the leg gave out, forcing him to sink to one knee. Galo instinctively reached out to help him, but Kray snarled and knocked his hand away.</p>
<p>“You little <em>shit</em>,” Kray spat at Lio. His veneer of calm was rapidly unraveling as pain set his nerves alight.</p>
<p>Lio could still hear his pulse in his ears and he took a step back. He looked to his siblings first (he wasn’t ready to face Galo) and for a moment, no one moved. Ares held his phone, his thumb hovering over the camera app. Lavinia had an arrow halfway drawn and she raised an eyebrow as if to ask <em> Are we doing this? </em> Ariadne mouthed the word <em> No! </em> at her.</p>
<p>“Lavinia, grab the medical bag from my room,” Ariadne said. She motioned for Ares to put away his phone.</p>
<p>Lavinia was disappointed but she set down her bow and ran back to the house, though not as quickly as she could have. Left to his own devices, Kray gripped the shaft and started to slowly pull the arrow out, audibly grinding his teeth. Galo was almost vibrating with anxiety and he lingered near Foresight, knowing that he was unwanted but still compelled to offer his help.</p>
<p>“Wait!” Galo cried, “Don’t do that!”</p>
<p>“Oh, no,” Ariadne said, her tone flat and unhurried as she approached Kray. “Don’t take that out.”</p>
<p>Kray wrenched the arrow from his leg with a horrible sound and tossed it aside, clamping his hands down on the flow of blood that followed. The bright red stood out vividly on his white clothes, the stain expanding like a splash of ink in water and trickling down his leg.</p>
<p>“Yeah, that was definitely the femoral artery.” Ariadne stood over Kray and sighed, her shoulders drooping to indicate just how heavily Kray’s incompetence weighed on her. “Foresight, I can’t believe you shot yourself.”</p>
<p>“...<em>What?</em>” Kray’s face paled with rage, or maybe blood loss. It was difficult to say.</p>
<p>“I knew you were bad at archery, but this is a little much,” Ariadne said. “Lio, you need to leave. Galo, it was lovely meeting you.”</p>
<p>Galo floundered, open-mouthed, but Lio didn’t need to be told twice. He dropped his bow and grabbed Galo’s hand, dragging him away from Kray and towards the house. Galo snapped out of it and increased his pace to keep up with Lio, but he called to Ariadne over his shoulder, waving with his free hand. “T-Thanks for having me!”</p>
<p>“Woah! Where’s the fire?” Andromeda joked when Lio nearly bowled her over in the kitchen. She sobered after seeing the look on Lio’s face. “<em>Leonidas, </em>is there another fire in my godforsaken house?”</p>
<p>“Grab the bags,” Lio told Galo. He squeezed his hand and then let go, motioning for him to go ahead. “Please.”</p>
<p>Galo nodded and left, glancing back at Lio before he was through the door frame and out of sight.</p>
<p>“I shot Kray,” Lio confessed.</p>
<p>Andromeda sighed like she’d been expecting this. “Fatally?”</p>
<p>“No, in the leg. But there’s a lot of blood.”</p>
<p>“It was a good shot,” Lavinia said, passing through with the medical bag. She was stopped by her mother’s hand on her arm.</p>
<p>“I’ll take the bag to Ariadne, darling. Could you grab the red envelope on my desk? And a pen.”</p>
<p>Lavinia nodded and went back the way she came.</p>
<p>“I’ve been trying to get Kray to sign a new post-nuptial agreement, so this is actually perfect timing.” Andromeda smiled and pinched Lio’s cheek affectionately. “Take some of the wine home with you-- oh! And take what’s left of the pumpkin cheesecake, your Galo really liked that one. You should bring him back next year.”</p>
<p>“But I--” Suddenly, Lio gave up. It was time to leave. “Okay.”</p>
<p>“Have a safe drive, dear!”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>The drive back to Promepolis was silent. Galo had his chin propped up on his hand and stared out the window, his expression hidden by his hair. Lio felt that he deserved it, even thought he couldn’t make himself regret making Kray bleed. But by the time they entered the downtown area, Lio couldn’t stand it anymore and he cleared his throat.</p>
<p>“You know what they say,” Lio began slowly, “The best defense mechanism is a good offense… mechanism.”</p>
<p>The silence stretched on.</p>
<p>Lio gripped the steering wheel and tried again. “Galo, I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>Galo sighed and slowly sat back in the seat. He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Lio solemnly. “You should be. That was a terrible joke.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry Foresight was a jerk to you this morning.” Lio glanced at Galo and saw that his eyes were wide with surprise. “You shouldn’t have had to find out about him this way. I’m sorry I shot him in front of you. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you his name in the first place, before all of this.”</p>
<p>“Actually, knowing ahead of time probably would’ve made me more desperate to go,” Galo said bitterly. “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”</p>
<p>“Even though I made your hero bleed?”</p>
<p>“Everyone warns you about meeting your heroes,” Galo said wryly. “He’ll be fine. I mean, he will be, right?”</p>
<p>“Ariadne will make sure he gets patched up,” Lio confirmed.</p>
<p>“Did you do it for me?” Galo asked. “Five years of mandatory holiday visits, but your mom’s finally close to a divorce. Why else would you shoot him now?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Lio admitted. “I got so angry, I just… it was like watching my body move on its own. I mean, I was still in control, but it was like I couldn’t stop myself.”</p>
<p><em>I didn’t </em> want <em>to stop myself.</em></p>
<p>“Ultimately, I think this was just the tipping point on putting up with him all this time. I shot Foresight because I wanted to, and that’s all there was to it,” Lio said. And yes, maybe Galo had been the catalyst for that final act, but there was no point in putting that on him, too. Not when it was obvious how much the thought of Foresight already weighed on Galo. “Will you tell me what he said to you?”</p>
<p>“You don’t already know?”</p>
<p>“Ares said he didn’t hear that part.”</p>
<p>“He was behind the garage?” Galo guessed. He sulked when Lio nodded. “He definitely heard. But it doesn’t matter. I know the stuff Kray said about you isn’t true, and the stuff about me… well, I’ve heard worse. Probably.”</p>
<p>“Galo--”</p>
<p>“I’ll tell you,” Galo interrupted, “If you tell me what would come up if I Google’d you.”</p>
<p>“You could just--”</p>
<p>“You know that’s not the point.”</p>
<p>Lio clicked his tongue. “It just seems like a very one-sided deal. Not at all in your favor.”</p>
<p>Galo smiled and waited patiently for Lio to continue, so he did.</p>
<p>“If you looked me up, you’d find the Infernal Lounge website, my Instagram, and some news articles. A few are from the local papers, but the rest are from Promepolis University. First, you’d be surprised that only <em>one</em> of them mentions my arrest record. But then you’d notice that all the other ones mention architecture.”</p>
<p>“Is that what you majored in?”</p>
<p>“I double majored in architecture and civil engineering.”</p>
<p>Galo raised his eyebrows. “Was this before you worked at the Infernal Lounge?”</p>
<p>“No. But I was working the bar at the time, not doing ink.”</p>
<p>Galo scrunched his face into a bemused frown and he would have ruffled Lio’s hair if he weren’t driving. “I can’t believe you tricked me into thinking that you’re the underachiever in your family!”</p>
<p>“I am!” Lio huffed, but then he relented. “Okay. I’m really not, but it feels that way. There was a lot of pressure that came with architecture.”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Galo prompted, when Lio paused for too long.</p>
<p>Lio swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded. “That’s why the Fotia name is famous in Promepolis, because my father designed almost half of the city. But he’s most widely known for the art museum.”</p>
<p>“Oh!” Galo knew the building. He hadn’t been inside, but he ate lunch in the park next to it when he wanted a change of scenery. It looked like a cross between a cathedral and a greenhouse, with its exterior almost entirely composed of colorful stained-glass murals. “Maybe I should’ve looked you up, after all.”</p>
<p>“I’m glad you didn’t, I liked that you didn’t know. Anyway, I studied architecture because I was good at it and because my mother wanted me to, but I only liked it some of the time. I got burned out, quit, and switched to doing something I love.”</p>
<p>“Tattoos?”</p>
<p>“Tattoos. And yeah, it’s about the art, but it’s also about getting paid to stab someone a billion times with a needle, y’know?” It was a joke that Lio occasionally told, but he realized too late that it might have been in bad taste since he’d just shot Foresight. Luckily, Galo laughed anyway.</p>
<p>“I really don’t!” Galo said. “But I’m glad you’re doing something that makes you happy.”</p>
<p>Too soon, the cafe that they’d met at came into view. Galo had confirmed that it was a good drop off point since it was near his apartment. Lio pulled up to the curb and summoned the last of his courage.</p>
<p>“Hey, if you’re not doing anything later, my friends and I are gonna do karaoke,” Lio said. “It’s our one Christmas tradition. I mean, besides getting shitfaced.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t wanna intrude--”</p>
<p>“I want you to come,” Lio insisted, his eyes bright. “And it would be great to have a firefighter around for, um, safety purposes.”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Galo said. And because ‘maybe’ is a word that often means ‘no’, he followed it up with, “I’ll text you.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Lio said, trying to hide his disappointment. In his experience, ‘I’ll text you’ was a phrase that sometimes meant ‘you will never hear from me again.’ “Don’t forget your cheesecake.”</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Lio opened the door to his apartment and, instead of the dark and stillness he expected, he was greeted by light and sound. Gueira and Meis had apparently taken advantage of the spare key Lio had given them and were sprawled out on the couch watching a movie. At least, they were until Lio appeared and sent them scrambling loudly over the furniture to greet him, landing all three of them on the floor in a tangled heap.</p>
<p>“I’m holding wine, you hooligans!” Lio laughed despite the air being smothered out of his lungs.</p>
<p>“<em>Boss!!</em>” Gueira sobbed and clung to Lio, pinning his arms to his side. A wine bottle rolled free of Lio’s reusable shopping bag and tried to escape down the hall.</p>
<p>“We missed you <em>so</em> much!” Meis squished Lio’s face in his hands. “The army sent word that you had died on the front lines, but we knew it was a lie!”</p>
<p>“It’s a Christmas miracle!” Gueira wailed.</p>
<p>“I mished you guhys, too,” Lio said as Meis continued to massage his face for no apparent reason.</p>
<p>In anticipation of Lio’s return, they had brought a stack of movies over and ordered their favorite foods from five different restaurants. After Lio managed to corral his friends back onto the couch, he sat between them and eagerly dug in, stuffing onion rings into a taco and adding an illegal amount of hot sauce. Although he was happy to be reunited with them, Lio was also feeling lethargic after a stressful morning followed by a stressful drive and they spent the rest of the afternoon on a quiet movie marathon. When a full stomach and relaxed atmosphere lulled Lio into falling asleep for half an hour, neither Gueira nor Meis disturbed him, but they did take pictures.</p>
<p>At sunset, they left the apartment and walked to a nearby shopping strip. One of the drawbacks of living close to the University was that the students went home for the holidays and most of the businesses closed while they were away. Yet, the karaoke place remained faithfully open each year on Christmas Day, so that was where they usually ended up. They paid for a room and Gueira flipped through the drink menu while Meis queued up ‘What’s New Pussycat’ as their first song. Lio tried to discretely check his phone for the millionth time, but doing something a million times is not discrete and Meis playfully smacked Lio’s elbow.</p>
<p>“When are you going to talk to us about Galo?” Meis asked. He grinned when Lio flushed with embarrassment at having been caught. “You’ve got your ‘yearning’ face on.”</p>
<p>“I do <em>not</em> yearn,” Lio insisted. There were no new texts from Galo.</p>
<p>“We <em>all</em> yearn,” Meis said sagely, “But you’ve been especially... pine-y.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“You’re pining,” Gueira said. “You keep checking your phone and doing that dramatic sigh.”</p>
<p>“I do not.”</p>
<p>Meis and Gueira both mimicked Lio and sighed together in sync.</p>
<p>Lio moaned and rubbed his hands over his face. “If I wanted to be called out on my behavior, I would have stayed at my mother’s house.”</p>
<p>“We’re not calling you out, we wanna know what’s wrong. Something happened, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but not in the way you think. I mean, it is at least partially the way that you think I’m thinking about him, but it’s also mostly something else that happened.”</p>
<p>“And what exactly is it that you think I’m thinking about what you think about Galo?” Gueira oscillated his eyebrows at an alarming speed.</p>
<p>“Nope, fun part later,” Meis said. He pet Gueira’s face affectionately. “Tell us the bad news first. When you texted last night it sounded like everything was going well. What happened?”</p>
<p>“Well,” Lio began, figuring that now was as good a time as any to tell them, “I shot Kray Foresight today.”</p>
<p>Meis and Gueira’s response was so loud that they probably would have been asked to leave at any other establishment. Lio caught them up quickly, skimming over the details of Galo’s past and focusing on the good parts; namely how he’d managed to shoot Foresight with virtually no consequences and would probably never have to see him again. Ariadne had sent him a vague text earlier, stating that everything was fine and that he should meet her for lunch before she flew back home in a few days. Lio had taken this as a good sign, since otherwise she would have called and yelled at him.</p>
<p>Lio realized that he still didn’t know what Foresight had said to Galo, but maybe it wasn’t any of his business. After all, they had known each other for much longer than either of them had known Lio. Even if Galo did decide to tell him, maybe he wouldn’t know enough about Galo to fully contextualize it. Maybe it didn’t matter at all since Foresight was just a miserable pile of lies in the shape of a man.</p>
<p>Maybe it wouldn’t matter if Galo never spoke to him again.</p>
<p>“Now <em>that</em> is direct action,” Meis said when Lio finished.</p>
<p>“Would you say that this was more or less blood than when Ariadne stabbed Ares?” Gueira inquired, for scientific reasons.</p>
<p>“I’m not sure. I didn’t hang around for this one, but apparently I hit an artery.”</p>
<p>“Nice shot!”</p>
<p>“A lucky shot,” Lio said with a sigh. He pushed his bangs back and ran his hands through his hair. “I wasn’t thinking. I could have hit Galo… never mind that he probably hates me now.”</p>
<p>“I highly doubt that.” Meis put his arm around Lio shoulders and hugged him. “Anyone who hates you is a grade A fuckass.”</p>
<p>“Do you have a picture of him?” Gueira asked.</p>
<p>“Uh, sort of?” Lio opened the picture Galo had sent him of his shirtless chest. Meis whispered an obscenity.</p>
<p>“The legendary eight-pack! It truly does exist,” Gueira said reverently.</p>
<p>“Is he really that skinny?” Meis asked. “If he ever pisses you off, you could snap him like a KitKat.”</p>
<p>“No one is snapping him,” Lio snapped. He regretted it when this only encouraged Gueira and Meis to howl back at him like a pair of school children.</p>
<p>“<em>Ooooohh!!</em>”</p>
<p>“You should definitely text him,” Gueira said, leaning heavily on Lio’s other side. He tapped Lio’s phone screen and zoomed in on a nipple.</p>
<p>“He said he would text me. I think I should give him some space.”</p>
<p>“But it’s <em>Christmas</em>.”</p>
<p>“You don’t care about Christmas,” Lio scoffed.</p>
<p>“But your Galo does, right?”</p>
<p>Lio considered this. A part of him wondered why he kept accepting Gueira’s advice since they had a tendency to enable each other’s bad decision making. On the other hand, Lio had never regretted inviting a little chaos into his life. He turned on his phone’s GPS and shared his location with Galo, following it up with a text that read ‘Saved you a seat ;)’.</p>
<p>“The winky smile, a bold choice,” Gueira said approvingly. “Send a selfie so that he knows the seat is your face.”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Lio said. Which in this context meant ‘after I’ve had something to drink.’</p>
<p>Gueira understood and picked up the room phone to place an order. “On it, Boss!”</p>
<p>“<em>What’s new, pussycat?</em>” Meis sang mournfully to the upbeat music, transforming it into a funeral dirge. The microphone screeched its disapproval. “<em>Woe, woe, woe, woe!”</em></p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>This, Lio thought, was the true meaning of Christmas: being trapped in a room with your two best friends while they exercised the full range of their vocal abilities. Meis had the best singing voice out of the three of them, but he squandered his gift on top hits from the 1960’s. Gueira had refused to leave until they covered every Britney song available. Whenever Lio was with them, it was hard not to feel optimistic about the future.</p>
<p>By the time they left several hours later, Lio was horrified to discover that the snow had finally come for him. The flurries fell silently but unceasingly and there was already a light powder coating the ground. Lio tried to go back inside, but Gueira and Meis caught him and ushered him down the sidewalk in the direction of home. He sighed and pulled his scarf a little higher over his face, supposing that he would have to rely on the alcohol buzzing in his blood to keep him warm.</p>
<p>“<em>Tell me why!</em>” Meis demanded.</p>
<p>“<em>Ain't nothin' but a heart</em><em>~</em><em>ache!</em>” Gueira answered.</p>
<p>“<em>Tell me why!</em>”</p>
<p>“<em>Ain't nothin' but a mis</em><em>~</em><em>take!</em>”</p>
<p>“<em>Tell me why</em><em>yy</em><em>!</em>” Meis grabbed Lio’s arms and gently shook him in the name of camaraderie.</p>
<p>Lio laughed and swatted at Meis, balancing on his boot heels as he spun out of reach-- “<em>I never wanna hear you say</em> <em>~</em>” –and bumped into something very solid.</p>
<p>“<em>I want it that way?</em>” Galo sang. He put a hand on Lio’s shoulder to steady him when he stumbled back.</p>
<p>“Galo!” Lio yelped in surprise.</p>
<p>“Hey, Lio.” Galo smiled in relief.</p>
<p>“Gueira!” Meis said.</p>
<p>“Meis!” Gueira added. His laughter was punctuated by Lio’s elbow jabbing him in the gut.</p>
<p>Galo looked curiously at Gueira and Meis as they hovered just behind Lio like a pair of shoulder devils, making gestures that were vaguely threatening but could also be a form of interpretive dance. He directed his attention back to Lio. “I’m sorry I’m late.”</p>
<p>“You didn’t text.” Lio didn’t mean to pout, but he did.</p>
<p>“Turns out I don’t get cell service over here. I got lost after I crossed the bridge.”</p>
<p>“So, you just drove around looking for me?”</p>
<p>Galo shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “It wasn’t hard. There aren’t a lot of places open right now.”</p>
<p>“You got T-Mobile?” Gueira asked. He hummed knowingly when Galo nodded. “That checks out.”</p>
<p>Lio cleared his throat loudly.</p>
<p>“Well, would you look at the time!” Meis exclaimed, pushing up his jacket sleeve to display his bare wrist. “We’d better get going, sugarplum.”</p>
<p>“I suppose we should, candy-legs,” Gueira sighed deeply. He looped his arm around Meis’s and pivoted them in the opposite direction, pointing towards their own home. “See ya tomorrow, Boss!”</p>
<p>“Make good choices!” Meis cooed, making Gueira cackle.</p>
<p>Lio blew a loud and enduring raspberry at their retreating backs, then he remembered that Galo was there and tried to surreptitiously wipe his mouth on the back of his hand. A laugh bubbled up in Galo’s chest and he coughed to cover it.</p>
<p>“Why does he call you ‘Boss’?”</p>
<p>“That’s just what you call someone after they beat you up in the produce section,” Lio said. Without warning, he threw his arms around Galo’s neck and embraced him.</p>
<p>Galo laughed and hugged him back, lifting Lio off his feet and spinning them in a circle. “I knew you were secretly a hugger!”</p>
<p>Lio held on when Galo tried to set him down, pressing his face to his shoulder. “Whatever he said to you, it wasn’t true.”</p>
<p>“...I know. Thank you, Lio.” Galo smiled and continued to hold him until Lio was ready to let go.</p>
<p>“Do you want to see my violin?” Lio asked coyly. “Or maybe my tattoos?”</p>
<p>Galo didn’t try to hide his laugh this time. “Are you always this bad at flirting?”</p>
<p>“No! I’m usually really good at it! Whenever I’m around you, my brain stops working,” Lio groaned.</p>
<p>“So, you admit that was an attempt at flirting?” Galo teased him.</p>
<p>“You have a fucking <em>eight</em> pack and the seat is my face!” Lio blurted. He clamped his mouth shut and his face burned tomato red.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Lio shook his head vigorously.</p>
<p>Galo ruffled Lio’s hair and his expression was so fond that it hurt Lio’s heart a little. “C’mon, I’ll give you a lift home.”</p>
<p>“Just a lift? You came all this way, you should hang out with me for a while.”</p>
<p>“It’s late,” Galo said, but Lio could tell from his tone that he was already convinced. He took Lio’s hand and lead him to the curb where his motorcycle was parked. “And you’ve been drinking.”</p>
<p>“Just enough to keep me from <em>freezing to death</em>. Besides, that's all the more reason for you to help me up the stairs. But you should know, things are going to be different from now on,” Lio stated. He grabbed Galo’s hand and held it with both of his own, staring intently at him. “I <em>will </em>be expecting some cuddling. I might even make hot chocolate and snuggle under a blanket, if you’re nasty.”</p>
<p>“I do enjoy a seasonal beverage,” Galo said. He tugged Lio closer and gently pulled down the scarf, cradling Lio’s chin in his hand. “But I want to get one thing out of the way first.”</p>
<p>Galo’s kiss would have landed on the corner of his mouth, but Lio turned his head to meet him, kissing him square on the lips. Galo made a soft, pleased sound and Lio felt him smile, which made him smile, too.</p>
<p>Galo kissed Lio’s teeth while he grinned, just to be annoying. “I was trying to be a gentleman.”</p>
<p>“I already know you’re a gentleman,” Lio said, “But I’m not. And I want to make out with you somewhere warm, so hurry up!”</p>
<p>Galo laughed and he pulled a spare helmet from the trunk, setting it on Lio’s head. He adjusted the straps for him and kissed Lio on the nose when it settled into place. The drive back to Lio’s apartment was only five minutes, but Lio held on tight, both of them grinning like idiots.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In the first version of this, the Fotias murder Kray and bury him in the woods, but I couldn't reconcile what to do with Galo, so Kray got to live this time.</p>
<p>watch me sporadically use twitter/tumblr @ onesinshineyday</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>